


The haunted boys

by RedHysteria



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Bullying, F/M, Human AU, M/M, Other minor characters - Freeform, ghost au, psychic Nico!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2018-07-25 22:28:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 76,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7549702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedHysteria/pseuds/RedHysteria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico is used to take care of all kind of ghosts and spirits of all kind, and is actually okay with his life. But when he meets Jason Grace, and the most evil spirit he ever saw haunting him, he starts to think that being a psychic is really overrated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

***Jason***

The day was mildly mortifying for Jason, so saying it was a relief when lunch came around was an understatement. He wasn’t particularly hungry, and the sandwich he bought didn’t help, so he just let his head fall on the table with a muffled “thump”. It took only a few seconds for him to hear someone sits across from him and on his left, but he didn’t move.

Soon enough he felt a hand nudging his shoulder.

“Come on Captain, time to wake up ! You’d think this is the end of the world.”

Jason sighed. “Go away Leo.”

As if. His best friend just resumed his lunch and put…something…on the blond head. It must have been bread. Hopefully.

“What happened to him ?”

Percy. Which meant that Annabeth was the other person at the table. Great. Jason usually enjoyed their company, but right now he really wanted to be alone. In fact, it was on days like this one that he noticed how he was always surrounded by people, be it his closest friend, the football team, or sometime even teachers. He always went home with at least a friend, and even there his stepmother rarely left him alone for long, always finding something for him to do, something that was “important for his future” of course. Juno never did anything useless.

In fact, she was probably going to give him this disappointed look again.

“He broke up with Beauty Queen yesterday.” Leo’s voice was carefully measured for once, and Jason flinched as if he had slapped him. Piper didn’t want to talk to him now, and by the look of it, Leo was probably going to be a little colder for some time. Just perfect.

“What !?”

At that Jason turned his head, so he could at least look at his friends. And at the crumbs of bread that fell from his hair. “Come on Percy, scream louder, I think they didn’t hear you in the staff room…”

“But why did you broke up with Piper ? You guys were great !” Percy had a look of incomprehension – not that uncommon – on his face and some unidentified blue food hanging from his mouth – once again, that wasn’t really surprising.

Jason once again closed his eyes and put his forehead back on the table. He really didn’t want to think about it again, but here he was. He saw Piper smiling at him on the way home, and then her smile fell, and she looked so hurt, but she didn’t cry or anything. She only nodded, let go of his hand and…and…

“Give him a break Percy, he’ll tell us when and if he wants too.”

Okay, so Annabeth was terrifying, but Jason kinda loved her right now. Well, platonically.

He could still hear Leo eating, and his finger drumming on the table beside him. He knew the whole story, and had probably talked to Piper after the break up. He was her best friend too after all. So now he was sort of caught in the middle of this, and Jason felt bad for this too. But right now Piper needed support, so it was okay for Leo to be a little distant. Probably.

All in all, it was a shitty day.

After a very awkward lunch that Jason didn’t eat, they went back to their classes. They separated, and the blond entered the classroom only to see Frank typing on his phone with a big smile on his face. He seemed totally absorbed and didn’t notice at all when Jason sat beside him. Well, at least some quiet time.

Jason got his textbook and his notes out and then his phone. He had a few texts still unanswered. Reyna wanted to know what happened to make him so miserable, Octavian demanded an interview with the school newspaper again (and Jason still wasn’t interested, but wondered if he could avoid it much longer) and Leo. Leo had sent him a text the day before to tell him that he wasn’t angry at him or anything, his relationship with Piper was his business, but he would appreciate it if he handled it a little better.

Jason put his phone on the desk a little more forcefully that he intended, and Frank jumped in his seat.

“Jason ! You scared me !”

“Sorry sorry. I was there for some time you know, but you looked so absorbed.” At that, Frank looked away, putting his phone away and fidgeting. Jason smiled at him.”Hazel ? ” It wasn’t a secret that he had a big crush on her. In fact, Leo had one too, but for some reason he never acted on it and they were just friends now.

“Yeah… I invited her to a movie tonight.” Frank smiled sheepishly. And even it that twisted Jason’s stomach a little, he didn’t let it show on his face. Yes, his relationship history was sort of a mess, but he should still be happy for his friends.

“That’s nice ! Where will you take her ?”

“At a little cinema near my house.”

He stopped talking as the teacher came in and Jason was left with his thoughts. In fact, he had only met Hazel a few times, but she seemed really nice. She was younger than them by 3 years, but she seemed very mature. And she made Frank smile and stumble and happy.

Jason tried to take notes, he really tried, but his mind was going in five different directions, and he could feel a headache coming. Was that how it was to be in love with someone ? Probably. Then why didn’t he fall in love with Piper ? They had been together for a year, but they knew each other before. She was pretty, but not the “I pour everything into appearances and nothing in my head” pretty. She was smart, and was one of the only people able to shut up Leo, and often he ended up doing what she wanted without knowing it. She had a way with words but didn’t try to stand out. She liked to talk about her Cherokee family and the legends she heard, and she sung really well, and she liked to talk about her father too, and how she missed him and was embarrassed every time she saw him shirtless on a poster.

Basically, she was everything you could ask for, and Jason still didn’t fall in love. She was a friend, his best friend, an important person in his life, but nothing more. And He was pretty sure he hurt her by telling her that, especially after dating her for so long.

Now Jason had a real, pounding headache. And he felt sore all over for some reason. Maybe he had a cold ?

Thank god, his class, his last class, ended, and he went out with Frank. He just had to make it home, and then he could sleep. Hopefully. Well, as long as Juno wasn’t too nosy.

He made small talk with Frank on the way, and they were joined by Percy and Annabeth. Percy looked like he wanted to tell something, but after a really insisting glare of his girlfriend, he decided better and started to tell Frank something about his teacher which made his friend laugh and, apparently, act a little calmer. Annabeth kept casting glances at Jason, but never asked anything, or pointed out his silence and he was very grateful for that. 

As they neared the school gates, Frank started to fidget again.

“Come on man, no need to stress ! Hazel wanted you to take her out for- Ouch ! What was that for ?”

Annabeth looked at Percy with a fond annoyed look. In fact, she had this look pretty often.

“I love you Percy, but please, shut up.”

“You know, you’re really…mean sometime.”

Jason’s head snapped up. Percy rarely stumbled on his words like this. In fact, he looked tense and worried, and Annabeth too, in a less noticeable way. Jason followed their gazes to see what caused that kind of reaction.

“Hey Hazel !” Frank called her without a second thought, and as she turned around, Jason saw that she was indeed there, but not alone. She was with a boy, skinny and pale, who looked even more so in his oversized bomber jacket, with headphones around his neck, an impressive set of ear piercings, and dark hair and eyes. In fact, he was glaring at Jason right now.

Jason had actually never met him, but it was pretty easy to figure out who he was. Hazel’s brother, Nico.

***Nico***

So, this was a shitty day. Nico knew that since the moment he woke up. His head was killing him, and when he opened his eyes, he saw the face of an old woman. Approximately 3 centimeters away from his face. His closed his eyes again, and turned his head in his pillow.

“Go away…” His words came out muffled, and then silence filled the room again. But Nico could still feel her presence, and after a few minutes, he sighed. “…Okay, fine.”

Ha sat up. His room was empty. Well, as empty as it could be. His bookshelf was on the opposite wall, stacked with books, a few of them on top of it or on the floor, for a lack of better places to put them. Next to it, his TV and consoles. Then on the next wall there was his closet, open, and his door, which could seem intimidating, with the symbols drawn on it. And then next to his bed was his desk, covered with books and notes before his computer, with his tarot cards tucked on top of a pile.

Nico sat up slowly, and breathed a few times, his eyes closed, before opening them again. The woman was right here before his eyes, and now he could make out a few interesting details. She wore a nice dress, a very nice dress, and had a silver pendant, and she was probably about 70-80 years old when she died. And she was giving him the headache of the century with the waves of anxiety that were rolling of her.

Yeah, being a medium rocks.

Nico sat Indian style on top of his cover, and patted the spot next to him. The woman seemed to eye the spot – seemed, because at some point, when people are deceased since a long time, they don’t remain intact. They start to lose details that make up their identity, like their faces, their voices, even their whole body, becoming something like a shadow. That was downright creepy.

The teenager looked at the ghost as she appeared next to him, sitting with her hands tucked on her thighs, facing the wall, so still she would be like a statue if her image wasn’t wavering. He examined her face attentively then. He couldn’t make out the details very well, and her eyes were engulfed in shadows and covered with grey hair. But her lips and nose were still visible and seemed to form a worried expression. She didn’t feel dangerous at all, so Nico relaxed.

“So ? What’s worrying you so much ?” The woman stayed still, so he tried again, reached for his cards. ”Did something happen to your grave ?” Still no reaction. “To your family ?” At that her head snapped in his direction at unnatural speed. “Alright then. Can you tell me your name ?” The woman still looked at him. “Okay, I guess…”

Nico took his phone and looked at the time. He had some time….but not nearly enough to search the whole town for that woman’s family. He thought about it for a minute before getting up.

“I’ll look for your family this afternoon okay ? You can just follow me if you want, or stay here and help me then.” The teenager turned around but the woman was nowhere to be seen. Yet, he still felt her presence, a cold sensation sitting in his stomach. Even if she wasn’t threatening or anything dangerous, the feeling of death was never “nice”.

Well, whatever. Nico got ready for school, and entered the kitchen to find Hazel alone here, making pancakes.

“Hey” He kissed her cheek and took some on a plate.

“Hey ! You seem tired !” She was flipping her pancakes over, a little smile on her face.

Nico sat down, taking syrup with him and pouring himself some coffee. “And you seem strangely happy.” It wasn’t a question, but she took it as one. She turned around with the same smile, sitting down across from him. They were alone today, their step mom already gone to her shop, and their father still on his business trip.

Usually, even Hazel would be a little down, but it was the total opposite. And she was wearing her favorite necklace, and a new shirt.

“Did Frank ask you out ?” 

“Yes ! Finally ! We’re going to see a movie tonight, and probably eat together afterward.” She was all shy smile and tucked her hair behind her ears so Nico couldn’t help the smile that grew on his lips. It didn’t really matter if all his life was a hot mess, if he could see Hazel be happy like this. It was worth it. But just as he was thinking that, her smile fell a little. “But really, are you okay ? You…you feel cold.”

His fork ripped on his plate, but Nico managed a reassuring smile. “I’m fine.” Given his sister stern expression, it didn’t really work. He took a sip of coffee, trying to clear his thoughts. “I have to look for someone, so I’ll be out this afternoon, but if you need anything you can just call, okay ?”

“Okay… I’m sorry, I wish I could do more” And now she looked down. Really, he was doing a wonderful job at keeping his sister happy.

Nico reached across the table and patted her head. “I’m fine, really. It’s just the usual. And trust me, it’s bad enough feeling them, you don’t have to see them too.” Hazel didn’t seem convinced, but after a while he asked about the movie she was seeing that afternoon, and she brightened up.

After that, the morning was a blur. Nico didn’t take his bike, he didn’t trust himself on it in his current state, so he took the bus to school, blasting rock in his ear, trying to feel a little more like himself again. But that was difficult. Worry was eating his mind, his thoughts kept straying away, he could almost see someone, hear a sassy remark, like always. The ghost definitely stuck with him for the day. In fact, he could see her in his place in mirrors or windows, and it wasn’t helping at all. 

He took notes in class, but didn’t remember a thing after getting out, and he was more than happy when lunch time came. He bought a sandwich, since he didn’t take anything with him – just great – and went to sit outside, the cafeteria being way to noisy for him right now. It was a mild success. He did find some peace and calm outside, but some classmates found him then. 

When Nico got to his afternoon class, he spotted a split lip and a nasty bruise on his jaw. The teacher eyed him suspiciously, as did some of the other students, but he couldn’t care much. His mind was elsewhere already. An advantage to his state, he felt detached, and almost didn’t feel pain the whole time. But the whispers among his classmates, the laughs and mocks progressively got to him. Great. His father would probably not forgive him if he set something else on fire.

When the school day was finally over, Nico got out quickly, slipping his headphones on, getting all of his things from his locker, and went outside. He didn’t really notice where he was going, just walking without thinking, until he found himself on the parking lot. Yep, all great, except he didn’t have his bike today. He was really out of it. The teenager turned around, already feeling irritated, but then he saw Hazel coming toward him, literally fuming. Oh crap. He was really bad at this “keep your sister happy” thing. Not for a lack of trying though.

“Nico ! What happened to your face ?!” She stopped before him, taking his face in her hand, seemingly hesitating between an angry and a worried expression.

He took her hands away, already feeling bad. “It looks worse than it is, really, I don’t feel a thing.” 

But that just got her angry again. “You didn’t answer my question ! And we both know that’s because-“

“Hey Hazel !”

She turned around, and Nico could see behind her a group of people coming. There was Frank of course, but also Percy and Annabeth – just perfect for this perfect day - and…

It took all of Nico willpower, ALL of it to not throw up right here and then. There was another person with them, a blond that Nico had never see before, and he almost didn’t notice his face because of the thing following him. At this point, it was hard to think it had been human at one point. It looked like a mass of shadows, swirling and dripping, and it was close to the teenager, so close it looked like thin shadows tried to strangle him. 

That was definitely not a friendly spirit, and Nico was so not equipped for that right now.

“Frank ! Hey !” Hazel tried to smile, but her voice came out wrong, and everyone’s attention quickly turned to Nico and his bruised face. His sister faced him again, a determined look in her eyes. “Look, we’re not over, okay ?”

Nico was really tempted to run away, but first thing first, he stopped looking at the haunted teenager before actually puking, and turned to Hazel. That was a lot safer. Probably.

“It’s really no big deal…” This unimpressed look again “but alright”.

“Are you okay Nico ? If you need someone to take you home, maybe we could…” Frank started to fidget under Nico’s stare, but still tried to be nice. Nico wasn’t sure if he was caring, even a little, or if he liked Hazel enough to always endure his presence even if he obviously scared the crap out of him, but whatever the case, he was glad that his sister had him by her side for now. 

Remembering how he had scared Frank when he smiled to him one day, he opted for a neutral look, as much as possible. “I’m fine, thanks.” He pointedly ignored Percy and Annabeth, and as she opened her mouth, he quickly cut her off. “I’m going home now, so just call me if you need something.”

That last part was for Hazel only, and even if she still seemed worried when he kissed her forehead, she also seemed relieved to see him go. She knew his history with Percy…to a point. And even if she couldn’t see it, he was pretty sure she could feel the thing a few meters from them. In fact, she seemed to want to act on that.

“Oh, by the way, you guys never met right ? Nico, this is Jason Grace. He is in some of Frank and Percy’s classes” Hazel quickly gestured to the haunted boy, and Nico resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Smooth Hazel, really smooth. But at least he had his name now. Maybe he would be able to find out what was following him exactly.

Nico forced himself to look at his face, ignore the rest, and this time he noticed the pretty blue eyes. Ugh, so not the time. He just nodded at the guy. “Nice to meet you.”

Who seemed pretty uncomfortable. “Uh, yeah, nice to meet you too” But then again, it was strange to see him standing and alert with this thing sticking to him.

Nico only then looked at Percy, out of curiosity, to find him looking anywhere but at him, fidgeting and clearly wanting to get away. Of course. Of course he couldn’t stand his mere presence. Why the hell would he ? Apart from his family, nobody exactly wanted to be around Nico, and it was hard even for them.

Crap. That thing was starting to get to him.

The teenager turned to Hazel one last time, lifting his headphones. “Later, have fun” And then he walked away. When he passed beside Jason, he felt a chill so strong he almost stopped in his tracks, but forced himself to keep going. One problem at a time.

By doing so, he missed the concerned look Jason gave him, as he watched him walk away.


	2. Chapter 2

***Nico***

Nico looked at his reflection in the bathroom’s mirror and took a deep breath before splashing some more cold water on his jaw. He took painkillers a few minutes ago, and since he didn’t have any ice, he just opted for this. Plus, this helped him to calm himself. The teenager didn’t even remember the walk back. He concentrated on his image, the drops running down his cheeks and then into the sink. And as he let his gaze travel a little, he saw the shado-like being behind him.

“Yeah, I get it. Let’s go” Nico took a towel and wiped his face, before going to his room. He probably wouldn’t need anything until he knew who he was dealing with, so he put his bag down and only took out his phone. As he was about to go out, a loud bark echoed in the house.

“Hey you !” Nico patted Ms. O’Leary’s head, or at least tried to, as she half-jumped half-ran around him. She had been unusually quiet in the morning, but seemed back to being a big ball of energy. Nico noticed how she stopped a little in front of the door, before starting to run again, so he went back to the kitchen to took her leash. “Come on !”

In fact, he took the leash only because of an old habit, but Ms. O’Leary didn’t really need one. Even though she was full of energy and spent all the time she could running and bouncing around, she actually listened well to commands. Nico started walking down his street, smiling a little. Animals didn’t like him. In fact, most hated him. After all, they were sensitive beings, able to feel things humans didn't notice. And since Nico was always surrounded by these things, animals were wary of him. But when he had found Ms. O’Leary, she took an instant liking to him, and didn’t seem bothered by spirits at all, except violent ones. Well, whatever the case, the teenager was fond of her too. After all, she was the most affectionate member of his family and didn’t need him to talk. One stone two birds, or something.

Nico walked quickly at first, letting his dog run ahead then come back, but as they came to more populated areas he made her slow down. They went in a park nearby, and stopped for a little while. Nico didn’t need to wait too long to see the woman appear on a bench beside him. She looked even more ethereal in such a place, with living people all around. But she must have been a pretty determined and balanced human being, since she retained an almost human form.

“Well, that would be nice of you to lead the way.” Nico looked at her expectantly. More often than not, he had to find out everything about the spirits he helped by himself, but that was mostly because they were weak. This one seemed to be able to move more freely. And indeed, after a few seconds the woman got up and started to walk. Well, she probably walked. Her form wavered a lot, and she seemed eerily still, but as he came close to her, Nico would realize she was further now. Ms. O’Leary seemed just happy to move again and kept walking at a quick pace, wagging her tail.

At first, Nico counted it as a victory. He could probably settle whatever held her here quickly, and that was always a good thing. And it was rare that things went so smoothly. But when he understood where exactly the ghost was leading him, he started to worry. They progressively left the most populated areas, entering some quiet neighborhoods. Some people stared pointedly at Nico, but he ignored them easily. They were only looking after all. Even if he could almost feel their wariness, they wouldn’t actually do anything to him. And they only seemed to be gossiping housewifes.

Nico thought the person the ghost was looking for might’ve lived around there, but the woman pushed forward. The teenager tried not to look at her too much, since she was moving in such a disturbing way. So he mostly watched his surroundings and wondered how late he would be back. A few times he took out his phone. He should’ve charged it during the day or something… He was starting to think a lamp torch might’ve been useful. And he would probably need to google map the way back home. Well, he had Ms. O’Leary as a last resort, but still. 

At some turn, they arrived before the forest near the city. It was quite popular, well maintained, used by runners and a lot of other athletes. It was pretty big too. Nico sighed loudly as his dog barked while running between the trees.

“Fuck my life…” He went after them, noticing that the ghost wavered a lot less now. She looked almost like a person. Well, as long as she didn’t turn to look at him. Her face was still half engulfed in shadows.

From there, the walk became a lot creepier. The sun was already setting – they went all the way to the opposite side of the town after all, he would probably need to take the bus to go back actually – and even if they could still see well, there wasn’t anybody around anymore. Nico wasn’t afraid exactly. He could defend himself, and with a big dog and a ghost who needed his help, he was fairly safe, no matter what would try to harm him. But after his encounter with Hazel and her friends, he was still a little shaken.

Even now, he remembered how Percy had avoided to look at him, looking incredibly uncomfortable, clearly wanting to run away. Annabeth had tried to look normal but, well, her inquisitive stare wasn’t much better. And then Jason…

Nico shivered. He had rarely seen that kind of spirit. Given its form, it was either long dead, or totally overpowered by one feeling. The teenager still remembered that sensation. It felt like greed. An intense, unstoppable greed, trying to strangle Jason. He probably felt sick because of its presence, or at least depressed. In fact, with that kind of spirit, he was surely going to get hurt soon.

Nico stopped in his tracks, and his dog came before him after a while, tilting his head, and whining a little. She always got his mood right.

“I’m okay. I just need to figure this out.” Nico petted her head before walking again. He needed to help Jason too before it got out of hand. Maybe he could ask Hazel ? She probably knew him better.

Nico stopped thinking about it when he heard something new. The sound of water running. As he came closer, he realized the ghost had stopped just before a little bridge. The teenager came beside her and looked ahead. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary… Under the bridge maybe ?

“I hope you don’t expect me to swim lady.” Nico went off the road, already feeling that something was off. He walked carefully to the muddy edge of the water, and looked around. So far nothing, but the woman’s presence became sort of overwhelming. That, and the air seemed colder somehow, hurting Nico’s throat and his nose. He already knew what he was going to find, but that didn’t make him feel any better. He started to walk again. Ms. O’Leary followed him but with a lot less enthusiasm. He could hear her whimpering all the way, and she was now far behind him.

Nico went on until he finally saw something, laying on the mud, half engulfed in the river. He came closer, feeling sick already. It was pale looking, with clothes stuck close because of the water, and…

Nico closed his eyes. “This is officially the worst day of my week. Or month.” Thinking about it, closing his eyes was a very bad idea, giving what he could feel, so he opened them again, only to look into two dark eye sockets. He inhaled quickly, willing himself to hang on at least until he went home. Now he understood the situation at least. “I’m sorry about your daughter.”

The woman nodded slowly in front of him, before fading. Well, it was more disturbing than that. She was there and then she wasn’t and Nico couldn’t really pinpoint the transition. And there was still a dead body before him. 

“Just great.” He took out his phone, but hesitated then. That would raise sooooo many unwanted questions. Calling from his cell was just stupid. He was indeed tired to have even thought about it. Nico turned around and almost ran until he could see the road again. Of course his dog was way ahead of him, itching to go back to the living land too.

Nico honestly wanted to run back home and collapse on his bed. Or the couch on the first floor, whichever he could reach. But he was kind of exhausted after this fucked up day for one, and he had to find a phone first, to call the police. Yes, that was his life. Yes, it was brilliant, thank you very much.

When they made it back to civilization, Nico felt like kissing the concrete road and sleeping right there. Ms. O’Leary would make a fine pillow, probably. But then he felt a buzz and after a minute or so he managed to remember the way his limbs worked and took out his phone. One simple text, from Hazel.

Are you ok ?

Nico’s head cleared in an instant, as he typed his answer.

Yes took Ms O Leary on a walk  
You can imagine her overflowing joy

Nico pressed his palms against his eyes. He had to be alright. Even if he was a wreck inside, he had to at least pretend. He had to hang on.

“Okay. First, I find a phone. Then I can pass out at home.”

***Jason***

Jason felt incredibly awkward. He was walking home with Annabeth and Percy since he couldn’t trust himself to drive right now. But after the really weird meeting with Nico – because it was weird, really weird – Percy had been strangely silent. And he looked like he was thinking. No that he didn’t think usually…. Well, no, he didn’t, at all, and that was freaking Jason out. Annabeth had tried to fill the silence with small talk, but it was very ineffective.

Jason kept replaying that meeting in his head. And that sounded way creepier than it was, really. But the way the boy had looked at him, like, like he was frightened or something, that was really disturbing. And Jason didn’t remember seeing him before, ever, so why that look ? And then, there was also the way his presence had shut up Percy and Annabeth. Jason looked at them and decided to try and get some answers.

“Sooo…what was that earlier ?”

“What do you mean ?” Jason flinched under the hard gaze of Annabeth. She was really scary sometimes. Most of the times really.

“Well, I was wondering why Nico broke Percy. I mean, if he wasn’t walking next to me, I’d think he’s dead.” Jason looked at his friend who only seemed more miserable, and immediately felt bad. He reached for his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “Perce, really, you okay ?”

“M’fine, don’t worry.” Percy smiled, even though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. And there it was, the guilt.

Annabeth then took Percy’s hand but it was Jason she spoke too. “Sorry Jason, we have…a history with him. But it isn’t our story to tell either way.” Then she glared hard at him for a second. “Remember when I suggested you only talk when you wanted to earlier ?”

“Sorry, it’s just…” Jason struggled to get his point across. He still felt sore, and really slow. Maybe he was really sick ? “I felt like he was glaring really hard at me today, but I didn’t even met him before. I’m just wondering what I did wrong…” No, that wasn’t it…It wasn’t glaring, not really.

“You shouldn’t take it personally, Nico glares at pretty much everyone and everything except Hazel and his dog. It must be his default setting now.” Percy was clearly trying to make him feel better, and even if it didn’t quite work, Jason was thankful, so he focused on the safe part of the sentence.

“He has a dog ?” For some reason, that was surprising.

“Yeah, the big scary type, but in fact she’s like a big plushie.” Percy was smiling a little more now.

Annabeth used that time to slowly change the topic around to dogs, and then something else, and Percy was talking again, and their friend couldn’t care less about Nico in that moment. He felt like a douche for bringing some bad memories back. For some reason, he seemed to fail at everything these days. He really hoped it was a cold or something now, because at least that was a logical explanation.

After a little while, they parted ways, and the rest was a blur. He didn’t quite remember how, but he suddenly found himself in his bedroom, standing before his desk. His laptop’s screen was black and in the reflection he saw his face. He looked kind of ill. But he also had a lot of studying to do. The last thing he needed right now was a slip of his grades. 

So Jason sat, dug through his bag and tried to ignore his protesting back when he hunched over his homework. He also took out his phone and checked his texts. He had a few from Leo, apparently they were on talking terms by phone, and one from Thalia, where she ranted about her new coworkers. That made him smile a little and he felt more focused starting his work.

Well, for a while. But after a few hours on his papers, Jason couldn’t help but get up. He wanted to move, do something, anything, and he did feel a little better. Maybe it was just his anxiety ? Maybe now that he had calmed down he was fine ? Jason checked outside, but the weather was clear and there was still some light. He thought maybe he would sleep early today…but no.

He changed quickly after closing his notebooks, taking only his phone with him, putting his headphones on, and as he got downstairs he almost collided with Juno.

“Jason ! Where are you going at this hour ?” She looked impeccable, from her new high heels and her expensive looking suit to her hair pulled in a tight bun.

“I’m just gonna run a little. I’ll make it quick !” Jason didn’t want to talk to her right now, never really, so he just got past her and exited the house before she could answer. Then he put his music on and he finally felt relaxed. 

While he did like football and playing with his team, he always felt pressured to keep them in line, helping them all the time, and even if he enjoyed the sport, he wasn't passionate about it. Running was a lot better in comparison. He could just sort his thoughts and relax or blast his music and forget about his day. Jason liked to run in the forest near his neighborhood, but usually it was still in the middle of the day. The place was creepy at night, so he just wanted to take a short path today.

He still felt a little out of it, so he didn’t force at all and all in all he was just feeling pretty calm when he noticed how dark it was. He needed to go back home. But just as the thought arose, Jason heard a muffled sound nearby. He slowed down and took out his headphones, only met by silence. At first.

“Waaaf !”

Jason almost, almost, collapsed when he felt something colliding with the back of his knees, but he quickly stood up. And as he turned around, he was greeted by the sight of a big black dog, breathing hard, tail wagging, and somehow looking incredibly dangerous and absolutely cute. But he probably took too much time to react so the dog barked at him again and stood on two legs, pushing his front paws onto Jason’s shirt, making him laugh.

“Hey there, buddy ! You alone ?” Jason bent down and patted the dog’s head with a smile. Okay, he didn’t seem dangerous anymore, just adorable. And he had a collar. The teenager tried to look at it, but his four legged friend just had too much energy for him. “Come on, can’t you stay still one second ? Please ?”

When the dog did still a little, Jason thought for one second that he really understood, but then he noticed the tilt of its head, and then the dog turned a little and barked happily. And from the corner nearby came Nico di Angelo. Jason had to admit, he couldn’t have moved even if he had wanted to. He felt like a trapped animal as Nico looked at the dog and then at him. And there it was again, that frightened look. But this time, it faded quickly. As the boy got closer, he looked more and more pissed, until he looked downright angry before him, his hands shoved in his pockets.

“What are you doing with my dog exactly ?” Jason stood straight and felt the strange need to apologize, even though he didn’t know why. 

“Sorry ! He kinda jumped on me, hum…” Nico managed to glare at him more intensely. “I’m sorry” He just didn’t know why.

Nico looked at him like that for what were probably the longest seconds of his life, before sighing lightly and looking down at his dog. “She”

“Uh ?” Nico looked up again, looking more resigned than angry.

“My dog, it’s a she, not a he.” He made a little gesture down as said dog barked again. “Ms. O'Leary actually.”

“..Seriously ?”Jason just smiled as Nico shrugged and went eye level with the dog to scratch his ears. “I didn't chose the name, for the record.” He thought there might’ve been some sort of follow up conversation, but the silence stretched then and he started to fidget uncomfortably. He didn’t know what to think or say. Did the guy hate him ? Or not anymore ? Why talk to him ? What was he supposed to say ? Usually Jason was good with people, he had to, but right now his mind was literally blank.

On the other hand, it allowed him to concentrate on something else than the anger of the boy. He couldn’t help but notice again how small he seemed, because of his over-sized jacket. Also, everything he wore was black, the shirt, the ripped jeans, but his combat boots were covered in mud. That made Jason smile. Thalia loved that kind of look. With the skull pattern too, she would’ve adored the boy.

“Are you okay ?” Jason’s eyes snapped up to Nico’s face. He was peering at him through his bangs, his face carefully neutral. 

“Uh ?”

Nico breathed a little and stood again, fiddling with a ring on his right hand. “You just look a little out of it.” Jason almost huffed a laugh at this but managed to keep it in. Relly, Nico was one to talk, with his bruised face. Instead, he rubbed the side of his neck.

“I guess I feel a little sick, less now though. Is it that obvious ?” Nico smiled a little at that.

“You could work on your poker face, yeah.” His voice was a rasped, and he was in fact deathly pale himself, but it made Jason smile at him. Maybe he really wasn’t angry with him. “Well, if you say so, I have to go now.” Okay, so much for the not-angry thing, maybe he didn’t want to talk to him more than necessary.

“Oh ok.” Jason really wished the ground would swallow him that instant, and his discomfort seemed to make Nico relax in contrast.

“Sorry, small talk isn’t my thing.” Nico started to walk and since for now they went the same way, Jason followed him, sort of encouraged by Ms. O’Leary who kept barking happily around them.

“Yeah, Frank mentioned that.” Facepalm. “I mean…”

Jason wasn’t expecting Nico to huff a laugh at that, but the boy seemed genuinely amused. “Yes, I went a little too far with him, and now he’s dead scared of me.” Nico still didn’t look at him, focused on the way ahead. He checked frequently his phone. “He’s too nice for his own good.”

“Yeah, he’s a good guy.” Jason had met Frank only after he moved here, at the beginning of high school, and they got along since then. He could look scary if you didn’t know him, what’s with his stature and all. But once you got to know him, he was just a big cinnamon roll. “And he’s really fond of Hazel.” Jason casted a glance at Nico.

Whose gaze has softened. He was deep in thought, and as they came to a corner he stopped. “I know.” He finally looked at him. “I’m glad she’s got him.” Did he look sad ? But then he turned and went toward the bus stop. “See ya.”

“Yeah, okay…” Jason waved but let his hand drop quickly. He wasn’t up for so much thinking right now. But Nico was interesting. He had heard rumors about him, there were a few at school, and seeing his bruised face, the one about bullying was surely true. But his face while he spoke about his sister stayed in Jason’s mind on his way home. Maybe he would try to talk to him more ? And as he came home, he realized that his head felt much better now. Cleared. And even though he just came home from a run, he felt less sore.

“Uh, strange.”


	3. Chapter 3

***Hazel***

Hazel took Frank’s hand and held it tightly as they walked down the street. She could sense him tense up then relax, the tip of his ears getting redder and redder every second. He was really sweet, probably one of the nicest and most honest person she’s ever met.

They went to see a ridiculous movie, a comedy she couldn’t quite remember now, but which made her laugh all the same, and then they decided to go on a walk before dinner. It was a little cold, but walking beside her boyfriend and chatting quietly made the cold go away. It was a nice date, and a nice day, and it was hard to find anything wrong with it.

Still.

Hazel couldn’t help the uneasiness that crept in the back of her mind, that little voice murmuring Nico’s name. Objectively, she knew she had very few reasons to worry. Her brother was healthier now than when she first met him, and he was a great psychic, a lot better than her, who could barely sense spirits most of the time. But he had seemed weird after class, and pretty banged up too. She couldn’t help but worry. Especially given how her dear brother wouldn’t ask for help.

While listening to Frank telling her another strangely frightening story about his grand mother – who sounded way too spartan for a grand mother actually – Hazel took out her phone to send a message to Nico. She tried a few time, going from “hey what’s up” to “so how’s your afternoon” but none of it seemed to convey what she really meant.

Are you ok ?

Was it enough ? Not at all, but that was the most important. Hazel tried without success to focus on Frank’s voice again, but that proved difficult. She took out her phone quickly when she felt it vibrate.

Yes took Ms O Leary on a walk

You can imagine her overflowing joy

Hazel could hardly smile at that. He went out. After he specifically told her he would stay home and rest. Sometime he was just infuriating. Then she thought a little more about it. And screw it, he was always infuriating.

“Did something happen ?” Frank stopped walking and was looking at her with a concerned expression, and Hazel felt instantly guilty.

“I’m sorry, I’m the worst date ever, aren’t I ?” She looped their arms, and sighed. “I’m worried about Nico.”

“He was hurt after all…do you want to go home ? To check on him ?” Even if he tried to hide it, Hazel still heard the disappointment in his voice, and shook her head.

“No, it’s fine, he…must be sleeping right now. I’ll check on him after dinner.” She slipped once again her hand in his. “Don’t think you can run from this ! After all I heard about your grand mother, I want to meet her !” She giggled at her boyfriend’s panicked expression. He stuttered and awkwardly tried to change the subject, and Hazel kept her smile this time. She was going to enjoy her night out, and then she could scold Nico. 

It was gonna be fine. 

Hazel felt a shiver through her back, and walked closer to Frank.

***Jason***

Jason felt like shit in the morning. His headache seemed back full force, and his legs were killing him. He woke up slowly, in a sour mood, and got ready for school in twice the time it normally took. Juno worried and fussed around him during the whole time, but her rattling voice only annoyed him. His day was going to be terrible, and he knew it. He also got a few texts from Leo, and surprisingly one from Piper, which he opened before going.

Can we talk today ? At lunch ?

Huh. It was at the same time a conversation he craved to have and one that he dreaded to have. He was probably going to fuck this up, just like the break up. He felt guilty after seeing how bad he hurt her, and at the same time, relieved since he didn’t have to pretend anymore. Which only increased the guilt.

How would he be able to face her ?

Strangely enough, staring through the bus window didn’t help his thoughts, and the aspirin he took didn’t relieve his pain in the slightest. Which was weird, but he couldn’t do anything about it after all.

The school was already buzzing with activity when he came, and as soon as he got into the hallway, the noise assaulted him. He tried to tune it out, got to his locker to take his things, and then his teammates came. A few of them at the same time, Dakota, Bobby, Jacob, came to him and started talking to him. And he smiled to them. And felt incredibly annoyed. He was always making efforts, the perfect Jason Grace, always nice and obliging, and even on his one bad day they had to come bother him ?

Jason blinked, not even listening to the conversation. Why was he so angry ? It really wasn’t like him.

He had to catch himself several time before snapping at his teammates – his friends ! He couldn’t just do that, it was important to get along on a team – and followed them to his first class that they had together. As soon as they arrived, they filled the seats around him without stopping their chatter and Jason counted to ten to calm himself. Several times. 

This headache was killing him.

“Hey by the way Jason, did you hear ?” Dakota leaned on his desk, whispering with a smirk. “They found a corpse in the forest near your house yesterday.”

At that Jason’s head snapped up. “Uh ? How do you know that ?”

“Jacob told me before you arrived.” Dakota nudged his friend who was fidgeting a little. Jacob was a good player, but he always seemed uneasy when he was the center of the attention. And with both his parents being cops, he was always a little more thoughtful and responsible than the others members.

“Yeah…They received an anonymous call last night, telling them where it was.” Under the stare of Dakota, he stumbled a bit over his words, and decided to explain further. “ I think it was someone who went missing some days ago ?” His voiced went up a little, like a question, but the others were already onto the subject.

“Isn’t it exciting ? A crime in the neighborhood, and invisible witness.” Dakota wiggled his eyebrows. Jacob looked uncomfortable, Bobby seemed excited, and Jason was…perplexed. Bobby turned to him.

“You got any idea who that guy was ? The one who gave the call ?”

Jason almost said a name, before catching himself. “How do you know it’s a guy ?”

“Because Jake’s parents said it was a guy’s voice.”

“I wonder how he found it…I mean, it wasn’t, like, on the road right ?” Dakota engaged the conversation further with the others, debating possibilities, letting Jason alone with his thoughts. Thoughts about a boy, in particular, all in black, in the night, with mud on his boots.

“All right students, settle in and get those damn phones out of my face !”

The chatter in the class died slowly, and everyone went to sit. Jason couldn’t focus on the board without feeling a sharp pain behind his eyes, so he just fixed them on his book while thinking. Was Nico the one who gave the call ? At least that would explain why he had looked so pale and shaken when he had seen him. But then again, he couldn’t assume just like that. 

Jason thought then about their conversation, feeling his head clear a little. It hadn’t been that much of a conversation actually, but he still remembered everything clearly. His head had been fine at that time after all. 

Ms.O’Leary. That was so ridiculous now that he thought about it, but it was a really cute dog. Scary as hell at first glance, but she really was like a big puppy. Nico had seemed relaxed with her. Jason chewed on his pen, thinking that he had rarely seen him at school. He heard of him because of Frank and Percy, mostly, but didn’t know anything about him. Yet he seemed…strange. The good kind of strange.

After the first class, Jason took off to the next with only Dakota this time. It was annoying, but Jason was still thankful that his friend was neither drunk nor hungover this day. That would have probably ended in murder. But as they walked together, Jason mostly humming at some points in the conversation, he realized that Dakota knew almost everyone as school, and was always the first one to enjoy and spread the rumors. Actually, he probably spread them a little too much, but…maybe he would have some answers.

“Hey Dakota…” He probably cut him off, but apparently his friend didn’t mind. “Do you know Nico ? Nico di Angelo ?”

“Ooooh, Death Boy right ? That kid is scary as fuck !” Dakota whistled. “You know, maybe he knows more than us about this corpse. With all his death mojo !” He wiggled his hands strangely before Jason’s face.

“I’m not sure…what you mean…”

“Oh come on, did you see him ? With his goth vibe and all ?” Dakota hummed to himself thoughtfully. “But you know, there were some nasty rumors about him selling drugs. And that was when he was still in middle school ! Not buddy material if you ask me.”

“He doesn’t seem like it…” He seemed nice. He wasn’t talkative or excessively friendly, but he obviously cared for his sister. And his dog. Jason smiled at the memory. And then he remembered his bruises.

“You okay man ?”

“He’s not being bullied, is he ?” Dakota shrugged.

“I dunno, but that doesn’t seem impossible. You know, people like to take their problems out on outcasts. I say he makes a pretty good target.” He looked at Jason, eyebrows frowned in confusion. “Why do you ask all this ? You know him ?”

“Well, you know, Frank is dating his sister. Hazel Levesque.” Recognition cleared Dakota’s face.

“Ooooh yeah ! I remember now ! There was a nasty story you know, about them. I mean, they don’t look like each other at all, right ? They have different moms, but given their age, it means that their father was cheating on them ! For a lawyer, that’s kinda…problematic, don’t you think ?”

Jason really wanted to punch himself for asking questions. And Dakota for having so many unwanted answers. Thankfully, they arrived to their next class. Jason settled at his desk, his headache at least twice as bad. That was a lot of informations. And since it was all from rumors, those probably weren’t half true. But still, it bothered him. Was that really what everyone thought of Nico ? He was alone on the parking lot the day before, he didn’t seem to have any friend.

Jason decided to talk to him if he saw him, as he dropped his head in his crossed arms on the desk.

The rest of the classes went about as well as this, and then it was finally over. At least, for lunch. His head went fuzzier and fuzzier as he got out. He walked to his locker as fast as possible and then just rested his forehead against it, exhausted. Maybe seeing a doctor wasn’t a bad idea. Or the nurse at school. But he didn’t want to miss class, or stay at home more than he already had to.

“Jason ? Are you okay ?”

Jason turned his head, and his eyes met other eyes, these ones a beautiful kaleidoscope of colors, hard to describe and hard to turn away from. 

“Piper.” He was so surprised to see her, to hear her talk to him that it took him a few seconds to remember her text, and then a few other seconds to remember what it was about. Then he dropped his head against his locker again, the sound resonating painfully in his skull. “Sorry, I totally forgot to answer your text… But I did want to talk to you ! I just… I just forgot…”

“Hey hey easy there” Piper’s voice was soothing among the noises in the hallway. “You look really bad, are you sick ?” She reached tentatively for his head, but stopped herself. Jason smiled and shook his head.

“I’m sorry, I just have this…this headache since yesterday. But I’m fine to talk. If you still want to, I mean.”

“If you say so… first, how about we get some lunch ?” She smiled at him. It didn’t quite reach her eyes, but that was a start.

“Sure ! Let’s go.”

As they walked side by side in the hallway, strange thoughts kept crossing Jason’s mind. It was probably an ordinary view for the other students, the perfect couple – as they called them – together. But it was awkward, and the tension between them was hard to ignore. There was the stiffness in Piper’s shoulders, the way she kept her eyes straight away, as if avoiding him, and of course the lack of actual conversation. It was going to be a long lunch.

Piper took a salad for lunch, while Jason took a sandwich, and they went outside, even if it was chilly, to eat on a bench. Jason waited silently for Piper to start. He owned her that at least, to listen. She had listened the last time.

“Jason, I’m…not sure where to start but…” Piper kept folding her lettuce with her plastic fork, then raised her eyes to meet his. “ I still want us to be friends. I don’t want us to just drift apart and not talk anymore. I mean…We were friends before, and I don’t want to lose that.” She shifted her gaze to the ground. “ I mean… I still like you, and I’m sorry but I’ll probably need a little time to…adjust but…could you drop that guilty phase and talk to me like before ? That…that would help a lot.” She chuckled a little, still pushing her food around. “I feel like I should’ve prepared that, I don’t…stumble on words like that usually.”

Jason smiled at that. “Yeah, you could rally the whole debate club in a few minutes to any cause.” He scratched his neck, uncomfortable already. “I’ll probably be awkward as hell too, so I guess we’re even ? But I still want to stay friend with you too.” It sounded like an apology. But it felt like one after all. Piper must’ve thought about that too, because she swatted his arm lightly.

“Hey, I said no hard feeling !”

“Well you didn’t actually said it, so…”

“You’re so strangely stubborn.” She finally started eating before pointing her fork at him. “By the way, I told Leo to stop being stupid and talk to you again, so don’t worry about, I don’t know, hurting my feelings or whatever ? Leo is your best friend too, it would be stupid to avoid each other.”

Jason released a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Thanks.” She shushed him and went back to eating silently, leaving a comfortable silence settling between them. Well, that went better than expected.

After their outside lunch, the two of them went back inside and separated for their afternoon classes. Jason still felt bad, but his talk with Piper made him feel better. He actually managed to take notes this time around. He even talked with his team without wanting to strangle them. Progress !

But he didn’t stick for afternoon practice, told the coach he probably caught a cold and preferred to go rest instead of worsening it. From another student, it might’ve sounded suspicious, but most of the teachers knew Jason as a serious and responsible student, so nobody really questioned him. Everyone wished him a quick recovery and went back to training. 

On the way to the gates, Jason remembered his car on the parking lot. He felt uneasy about leaving it for two nights in a row here, but he was in a worse state than before. Still… Jason reached for the key ring in his pocket and played with it while working his way through the flow of students. When he finally got out, he looked around him, wondering if Percy and Frank already went back. And then he saw Nico.

He was leaning against the wall, checking something on his phone. His bruises were shockingly colorful on his pale skin, but he looked better than the night before. Jason only hesitated a second before going to him.

“Hey Nico !” Nico looked at him for a second as he stopped before him, and raised an eyebrow. “Hum…just wondering if you were…on your way back ?” Nico frowned but noded. “Well…want to go home together ?”

Nico only gave him a stern look, and Jason began to fidget awkwardly on his feet. “I mean, like, if we go the same way, not go home to the same home, just… “ He stopped when he saw Nico’s smirk. “You’re enjoying this aren’t you ?”

“Yeah, pretty much. But please, don’t stop for me, go on.” Nico pocketed his phone while Jason dropped his head.

“Please, just let me go bury myself in a hole or something.”

“Like a grave ?” Jason tried to glare at him but Nico only shrugged. “But sure, we can…go home together if you want. Though, don’t you usually drive ?”

Jason’s head snapped back. How did he know that ?

“Yeah, usually. But I think I caught a cold or something, and it’s been worse today so I don’t think I should drive. I’m still not sure about leaving my car that long though.” Jason still felt his keys in his pocket, and the pain spreading in his head. Nico seemed to think for a moment, and a few times he looked just above Jason’s shoulder.

“Want me to drive then ?” He crossed his arm before Jason’s surprised expression, looking at the ground like it was the most interesting thing he ever saw. “I mean it’s not safe to leave it that long, and I take the bus home either way so…” He looked up, with a hard gaze and Jason…

Jason was at a loss. Half the time, Nico seemed to hate the very idea of looking at him, and the rest of the time he went out of his way to talk to him. That was…disconcerting. But at the same time Jason was happy to have another chance to speak with him, so he nodded enthusiastically.

“Sure ! Thanks Nico !” Nico just shrugged and gestured to him to lead the way. So Jason went to the parking lot with the boy at his side. He waved at some people on the way, until they arrived to his car.

“Seriously, Grace ?” Nico took a step toward the car, running a hand on it. “A Camaro ? What are you, a walking cliché of the perfect popular rich kid of high school ?”

“You think I’m perfect ?” Jason tossed the keys at Nico and went to the passenger seat.

“Annoyingly so.” Nico said that without looking at him, starting the car and then getting them out of school. He drove surprisingly well, given that Jason had never seen him in a car…Uh oh.

“You know, I’ve never seen you drive before.”

“You’ve never really seen me at all actually.” Nico must’ve sensed the growing tension, because he sighed before picking up the conversation. “I do drive sometime, but never alone, so I take the bus to school.”

“Why not alone ?” Jason was genuinely curious, but seeing Nico’s knuckles becoming white on the steering wheel, he decided not to push it. “How’s Hazel by the way ? I didn’t see Frank today, so I don’t know how their date went.”

Nico relaxed visibly, and when his spoke it was in a much softer voice. “It went well, I think. She seemed happy.” He seemed to think for a while, before his lips formed a smile. “Then she saw me and she got mad, because I went out even though I said I'd rest.”

“You seem amused.”

“I am. She’s better with the older sibling role.” Nico half turned to him. “By the way, I know vaguely where your house is, but I will need directions at some point.”

“Oh yeah ! Sorry ! Uh, right way for now. Take the second exit, to the right.”

After that, the drive was mostly silent. At some point, Nico seemed to tense up again, clenching the steering wheel, but when Jason looked up his face was neutral, only focused on the road. Maybe he didn’t like driving actually ? Then the fact that he offered to drive Jason home made any less sense. Why doing things he didn’t like, for him ? Plus, Nico didn’t seem like the type to force himself to do anything. He was a real mystery. 

Then the talk Jason had with Dakota came back in his mind, and even if he tried to ignore it, he wondered if Nico would tell him more about himself if he asked. 

“Stop it.” Jason turned at Nico’s harsh tone but the boy only shrugged. “I can hear you overthinking things from here. It’s disturbing.” Jason chuckled at that and let himself slide a little in his seat. 

“Sorry, I’m not in my normal state right now.”

“So thinking is unusual for you ? Don’t hurt yourself.” Jason glared at him but Nico’s smirk disappeared quickly. “Since when did you feel sick ?”

“Uh ? I’d say… two days ago, but it’s really yesterday that I started feeling really bad.” 

Nico’s finger drummed on the wheel, and he seemed deep in thought. “Did something happen before ?”

“Not really…why ?”

“Just wondering. I thought idiots didn’t catch cold.”

“Are you treating a straight A student of being an idiot ?”

“Yup ! We’re here by the way.” Nico pulled in the driveway smoothly and turned the engine off. 

Jason struggled with his belt for a few seconds, but then he managed to get himself out of the car. Nico was waiting for him just before it, his arms crossed and expression thoughtful. 

“Thanks for driving me home.” Jason managed to keep his smile while Nico turned once again a harsh glare on him. Well, maybe it wasn’t that harsh. But since his eyes were so dark, it was an intense look. Jason noticed the dark circles under them and wondered if he had troubles sleeping ?

“Don’t worry about it… You should take care of yourself.”

“Will do !”

Nico surprised him then. He took his hand. Well, his wrist most specifically. Jason flinched at how cold his skin was, but the boy held on. He turned his hand, palm up, and looked at him for a few seconds, before dropping the key ring in it. He waited until Jason closed his fingers on it and then let go. And Jason felt that loss of contact like a burn. It was strange. His head had cleared up in an instant, his pain almost gone, his back and legs felt fine too. Nico looked up at him, a serious expression on his face.

“You’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

And then he turned on his heels and walked away, like nothing happened. Jason stood there for a long moment – seconds ? minutes ? more ? – before going inside. And even then, he could still felt Nico’s hand around his wrist.

***Nico***

Nico came home confused. Confused and sick. He patted his dog on the way and went straight to Hazel’s room.

“Hazel ?”

She was sketching on a beanbag, her hair pulled out of her face, and shot him a curious look.

“I need your help.”

“For what ?”

“For a reading. About Jason.”

She closed her sketchbook, leaning forward.

“Did something happen ?”

“Yep, and I need to know if I can deal with it quietly.”

Hazel raised an eyebrow in the familial “I’m-judging-you” expression, but didn’t comment further. She got up and went to her desk to retrieve a deck of tarot cards. Then she turned around, and smiled at her brother.

“Well then, let’s get started.”


	4. Chapter 4

***Nico***

Nico sat cross legged on the floor with his head leaning back on his sister’s bedpost. His headache had only barely receded, and he wasn’t even the one being haunted. Heck, he had only been near the ghost for a short fifteen minute car ride! How could Jason stand being around it for the whole day? And more? If he had been sick for two days, then the ghost had probably manifested itself before. Just thinking about it made his head hurt all over again.

Nico lifted his hands and covered his eyes, trying to block as much light as much as possible.

“Your head still hurts? That’s impressive.” Hazel sounded genuinely in awe. Nico heard her as she walked in, closed the door, and sat in front of him.

He opened his eyes and saw that she was holding a deck of tarot cards in her hands. They were beautiful, black and gold and sepia with curves and small ornaments. He had watched her paint them a long time ago, and now, she was holding them close and shuffling them with her eyes closed. Nico stretched his arms a little, making his shoulders pop, and leaned forward. It had been a while since she’d done a reading for him.

Hazel stopped and spread them out on the floor before her. She held her right hand above them, hesitantly at first, but her uncertainty disappeared as she picked up the first card. She put it down, then picked up another to put next to it, and then laid one more down. Nico’s eyes met hers.

“Okay, let’s hear who that spirit is.”

Hazel nodded, and turned over the first card on the left. She snorted.

“Well, that doesn’t look good.” The picture showed the Queen of Wands, reversed. “So, a woman. Paranoid, overbearing, spiteful. She tries to control the people around her, particularly friends and family.” She turned over the next card and revealed the Three of Wands, reversed. “She failed and it didn’t end well, obviously. But she doesn’t recognize that what she wanted to happen wasn’t what actually happened. She’s stuck in that delusion. I’m not sure she even realizes what she is right now…” She trailed off as she turned over the last card, the Ten of Wands, reversed again. “She’ll get more and more jealous of the people around her, and eventually try to upset and hurt them because of it.”

Hazel leaned back, thinking. Nico just sighed. “She’s a family member of his, isn’t she? That’s why she’s haunting him. He probably didn’t do anything to her, she’s just jealous of him.”

Hazel shrugged. “Probably. I don’t know Jason too well, so I have no idea if someone’s died in his family recently…”

Nico swept a hand over his face, already tired. “It might not even be recent, you know? If that woman wants to control everyone around her, maybe she just… passes from one person to another?”

“True…” Hazel suddenly pointed her finger at him, almost poking his eye. “And you gave him a charm! A tiny charm against… against that!” She gestured at mess on the floor and irritation returned to Nico’s mind.

“Well I didn’t have a lot of time to improvise, since he ambushed me after school! And it’s better than nothing, at least until we figure something out.”

“It’s not gonna work.”

“I know!” Nico let himself fall back on the floor and willed his brain to work at normal speed again. “But what could I have done? Should I have outright asked him, ‘hey, can I salt your house and draw a protective circle on your door to ward off a ghost?’” He let sarcasm drip through his words and Hazel made a face at him. “I couldn’t let him think I was crazy, but I couldn’t just leave him defenseless either, okay? He was already sick because of that thing… Fuck, I can’t think right now.”

His sister’s gaze softened and she patted his knee. “I’ll help, okay? I’m no good with spirits, but I’ll help with the rest.” She smiled then and tapped her chin. “But you know, maybe the charm thing isn’t so dumb. If you keep giving him little protections without him noticing, the ghost might give up.”

Nico frowned at that. “You do realize this would never work out, right ?” 

Hazel thought for a moment before a wide smile appeared on her face. “Ooor, you could become his friend! And in the meantime get close enough to exorcise the ghost quietly!” She looked like she had just come up with the best idea in the whole world, and Nico began to wonder what he had done to deserve such bad karma.

“… You just want me to make a friend, don’t you?”

“… Maybe?”

Nico facepalmed. “Let’s… Forget it. Either way, I’m pretty sure I freaked him out, so he probably won’t talk to me anymore.”

Hazel muttered something that really sounded a lot like “idiot,” but he didn’t dwell on that. Nico reached for the cards that were still face down, feeling a little desperate.

“A hint would be nice...”

He picked one up, and held it in front of him. Instantly his mood lightened.

“Someone’s happy.” Hazel stole his card from him, a curious expression on her face. “The Hermit?” She looked back at him. “I thought you took the week off?”

“Well obviously it wasn’t the best time.” Nico got up, wobbling a little. He still felt horrible and wanted nothing more than to sleep, but he was with his sister now, and that made everything a lot better and easier to deal with. Even if she did spent most of their time together criticizing his social skills.

Hazel started to gather her cards and Nico, too tired to say anything else, gave a small wave before heading downstairs to get some aspirin. He went to the kitchen and was surprised to find it occupied. Persephone was sitting at the counter with a plethora of flowers spread before her as she methodically cut the stems. Nico guessed they were tulips, but he’d never really paid much attention to his stepmother’s work, so he couldn’t be sure.

He stayed quiet and went to the sink to get a glass of water, but the noise obviously startled Persephone, who put down her scissors. “Nico! I didn’t hear you come in.” Nico looked at her over his shoulder. She hadn’t seemed to be in a particularly good or bad mood, but as soon as he turned to face her, she frowned. “What happened to your face?”

Whoops. Too late to leave unnoticed now. “Nothing.” She gave him a stern look. “I fell.” The stern look intensified. “Why ask if you know already?” At that she threw her arms up and muttered angrily before leaving the room.

Nico sighed and looked down at Ms.O’Leary, who’d just come in and had most likely been curious about the noise. She whined a little and Nico crouched down to pat her head with both hands. She seemed to pick up on his slightly depressed mood and pushed her head on his shoulder, making little noises that only puppies should be allowed to make. Nico couldn’t really resist that, so he hugged her with a smile.

“You’re supposed to be a big scary guard dog, you know.” She simply whined in his ear as he rubbed her head a little. Hearing Persephone footsteps, he looked up just in time to see her enter the kitchen with a bottle of something and a finger pointed toward at the counter. 

“Sit. Now. I will tie you up if I have to.”

“I’m pretty sure you’d get arrested for that.” Nico sat at the counter while Ms.O’Leary curled up under his stool. 

Persephone sat in front of him and took his chin in her hand, turning his head to get a closer look at the bruises. Her lips formed a thin line, and Nico could almost feel her anger rising. “I suppose you didn’t report this either.”

Nico shrugged, at least as much as he could while Persephone smeared some cream that smelled like plants on his jaw. “No. It doesn’t matter.” Her face clearly said the opposite, but she didn’t add anything.

Nico still had trouble figuring her out. After living for years with Persephone, she was still a mystery to him. When she married Hades, she accepted all the weirdness of the family as if it was normal and was rarely ever fazed by them. She worked at a small flower shop that she owned, was pretty, had nice coworkers, and had a mom who still looked after her. Basically, her whole life had been full of warmth and colors, but she still chose Hades nevertheless. Not to mention the calm with which she handled every situation was unsettling. Basically, Nico didn’t understand her at all, but he didn’t dislike her.

“All done.” Persephone wiped her hands on a wash cloth, and looked at him, holding his chin again so that he couldn’t run away. “Nico, I don’t care whether you think it matters or not, the next time this happens, you will report it, understand?” He tried to avert his eyes from her stare, but eventually jerked her hand off and gave a curt nod. “Good.”

And just like that, she went back to her flowers. They were a strange sight, little touches of color and life inside the dark and quiet house. Nico stayed a little longer, resting his head on the counter with his arm as a pillow, and watched her prepare bouquets. The silence stretched into the late afternoon, with only the snip of scissors breaking it from time to time. Nico didn’t realize it, but he probably fell asleep at some point. The next time he opened his eyes, it was definitely dark outside. Five bouquets were lined up on the countertop and sitting in pretty vases of water. 

Nico stretched out his arms and arched his back, feeling sore after sleeping in that position for… For how long? He checked the clock, and saw that he had slept for a little over two hours. Just perfect. Now he was definitely late on starting his homework. 

Nico cringed at the awful taste in his mouth and gulped down another glass of water before going back to his room. He took note of the light that came from under the door of his sister’s room, but he didn’t bother her.

Nico softly closed his door and swept his hand over the circle drawn on it. He could finally breathe a little. He sat at his desk and checked his phone. He had some time before dinner, so he took out his books and notes but stopped just before opening them. He’d almost forgotten.

Nico picked up his phone again, opened his contact list, and made a much needed call. As soon as he heard the person on the other end pick up, he felt a tired smile appear on his face.

“Hello Nico.”

“Hi Hestia. Is now a good time to talk ?”

***Jason***

Jason woke up well rested and clear headed. He was up early that morning and managed to have an almost pleasant conversation with Juno – emphasis on the almost – before leaving for school. In his car. Which helped to better his mood.

Jason threw his bag on the passenger seat, but as he started the engine, something soft bumped against his thumb. Curious, he took a closer look at the keychain and noticed a new addition. He still had the house and the car key, plus a key for Leo’s studio, but now he also had… something else. Jason turned it in his hand, not really sure what it was. It looked like a small, rectangular piece of grey cloth with seams on the edges. Looking closely, he noticed that there was also a white pattern on it.

Jason lifted it up to the light but couldn’t recognize the design. It looked really complex for such a tiny object. Jason rolled his keys in his hands for a few minutes, trying to remember when and how the little piece of fabric could have gotten on his keychain. Maybe it was Juno? He often left his keys by the door, but she usually never touched them. After sitting and thinking in his car for way too long, he finally started the engine and began to make his way to school. He could ask her later.

As soon as he parked his car, Dakota came to greet him. Today he happened to be hungover as hell, so he was much more bearable than usual. Plus Jason was in a good mood. He could handle his whines for a day. 

They went inside to meet up with Bobby and Jacob, and as they walked for their first class, they filled Jason in on the practice he missed. He got to his seat smiling so wide, some people sent him weird looks. As he sat down, Bobby took the seat in front of him and turned to face him with his head propped on his arms on the back of the chair.

“Sooo, Captain, what happened to your princess?” Jason tensed up immediately and Dakota and Jacob turned to face him. To his chagrin, Dakota choose that moment to add a comment. Great.

“Hey, right, don’t you usually drive her to school?” 

Jason sighed. “We broke up.”

“You what?!” Dakota almost fell head first on the table with the force he leaned forward with. Jacob simply frowned at his friends.

“Why would you do that?” Bobby didn’t shout it, but he would’ve if they hadn’t been in class, and Jason winced at the shock and incredulity in his voice. They were already attracting attention as it was, and most of the other students were not-too-subtly looking in their direction. 

“Guys, calm down a little, okay? No need to freak out here.” Jacob was definitely going to be his favorite teammate by the end of the year. Well, he was already, but still.

“Aw Jay, you’re supposed to be the smart one,” Dakota whined as if he was the one who’d gone through a break up. Then he suddenly sat upright, pointing at the ceiling like he’d just had a brilliant idea. “Did she cheat on you? That must be it! Right? Right?”

Jason rubbed his forehead. Of course, he couldn’t manage to avoid an interrogation. “No she didn’t, and please don’t start any rumors.” There was a pause. “I’m serious Dakota, don’t.” He stared down at him until Dakota flipped him off. “We just didn’t work as a couple, that’s all. We decided it would be best if we just stayed friends.” Dakota and Bobby obviously wanted to ask for more details, but Jacob hit them both upside the head. After that, it was difficult to get back to safe topics, but they managed it. Even if Dakota kept giving Jason curious looks.

Jason dreaded the inevitable moment the news would spread to the rest of the school. Especially Drew. For some reason, she never gave up on him, even after he started dating Piper. She was going to be loads of fun to deal with. Or not. 

And there went the remnants of his good mood.

Jason was honestly glad when the class began. It was a safe distraction from his mixed up social life. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but think about his keychain from time to time. And Nico. He was the only other person who had touched them in the last few days, after all. But then again, why would he put something on someone else’s keys?

Jason somehow managed to focus on the lesson and take decent notes. Thanks to Jacob, he was able to dodge his teammates’ - rude - questions. Mostly it was Dakota who asked the really insensitive ones, Bobby was a little more considerate.

Jason ate with them at lunch, since he felt bad for ditching them lately, but as soon as he finished, he went looking for Leo and Piper. Luckily he found them with Percy, Annabeth and Frank just outside the cafeteria. Piper smiled at him and everything felt right again. Maybe they would be a little awkward at first, but her smile told him that they would be okay eventually.

“Jason! You look better today.” Annabeth had a neutral expression on his face, but her voice was cheerful.

“Yeah, I don’t really know what that was, but I a lot feel better now.” Jason leaned on the wall between Percy and Leo and joined their conversation effortlessly. It was nice just to be with them all. Percy talked about the swimming club, how some of the new members were having a hard time catching up, and Leo proposed to drown them. Frank added some input from time to time, while Annabeth and Piper chatted quietly about a class they both had.

When they separated to go to class, Jason went with Frank and turned to face him once they got settled in their seats.

“Hey Jason, do want me to drive you home today? Since you had to leave your car here.” Jason couldn’t help but smile at him.

“Thanks, but it’s fine. Nico drove me home yesterday, and I was all good to drive this morning.” Jason spun his pen between his fingers, momentarily distracted, before he realized Frank still hadn’t responded. He looked back up to see Frank staring at him with wide eyes.

“He… drove you home? In your car?”

“Yes… Why ?” Frank shrugged a little, looking down and drumming his fingers on the table.

“It’s just… I thought he didn’t like to drive. Plus, he has a bike, not a car, so…”

“He has a bike?” Jason tried to picture Nico on a bike, and it was strangely fitting. Somehow Jason felt he had the look for it. Well, maybe except for the fact that he was so small. Frank nodded in affirmation. 

“But he always takes the bus, doesn’t he?” He didn’t know Nico that well, but when Hazel said that Nico was coming to pick her up, he was always walking her home.

Frank scratched the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable. “Yeah, I just… I don’t know why he doesn’t drive, Hazel just told me he doesn’t.” 

“Ok…” Jason looked back at Frank and felt bad for making him so uneasy. “By the way, how was your date with her?” He probably didn’t sound as cheerful as he hoped, but that was enough for Frank. He didn’t give a lot of details, but he seemed happy to be able to talk to someone about it. Jason listened to him until the teacher came in, but by the end of class he didn’t learn anything more on the subject of Nico.

Hazel and Nico were just so different, and he didn’t understand why Nico kept forcing himself to do things he didn’t like. Talking, driving, etc… Not to mention the thing with the cops and the body in the woods. But those were small things in the back of Jason’s mind during class. After feeling so sick for a few days, he wasn’t going to let anything wear him down. He had practice with his team after school, and since he missed yesterday, he felt he had to make up for lost time.

When the end of the period came, Jason was quick to empty his desk and began heading to his locker to put a few things away before he met with his team. He chatted with Frank until he reached his locker and stopped to put in the combination. Jason was putting his books away when a hand slammed down hard on the locker next to him. The noise made him jump and drop his things. 

“Oh sorry Captain, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Jason– unfortunately- could recognize that voice everywhere. He turned to face Drew, with her silky dark hair pulled up in a ponytail and a wicked smile on her red lips. She looked good, anyone could see that, but Jason also knew what kind of person she was, and that was enough to make anyone want to run away. Frank looked between the two of them a little lost before busying himself by picking up Jason’s things off the floor.

“Hi, Drew.” He forced a smiled at her in an attempt to at least be civil. The way she leaned into his personal space didn’t make it easy.

“I heard you ditched poor, poor little Piper.” Artificial concern faintly dripped from her voice as she tilted her head. “I guess you’ve finally had enough of her nature freak nonsense. But you know if you’re ever bored, you still have my number~” Drew leaned even closer to him on her last sentence and then walked away, with her heels clicking down the hall until she disappeared. Jason pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing before turning to Frank, who was still holding his bag looking completely confused.

“You have her number…?” 

“She didn’t exactly gave me a choice, she stole my phone and put it in.” Jason really didn’t want to think about how pushy she was. He took his bag back and thanked Frank as he slid the band over his shoulder.

“By the way, did Nico give you that charm too?” Frank asked. Jason, who had already started to walk away, stopped in his tracks and turned back to Frank with a confused look.

“The what?”

“The charm on your keychain.” Jason fished out his keys hurriedly and held them in his palms. “What? Am I wrong?” Frank asked curiously. 

“Why do you think he gave it to me?”

Frank shrugged, a little uncertain. “Because Hazel has the same one, and she told me Nico made it.”

Jason looked at Frank for a few seconds, taking time to process what his friend had just said. “Thanks Frank.” Frank face visibly showed a puzzled expression, as he had no idea what kind of epiphany Jason had reached, but that wasn’t important. Jason’s hand closed around his keys as he ran off.

He had to talk with Nico.


	5. Chapter 5

***Nico***

Nico had had a surprisingly good morning. He managed to dodge Bryce Lawrence, he turned all of his assignments in, and most importantly, no spirits came to bother him. Plus, he actually liked his literature class that day.

Nico was texting Hazel the whole time too. She wanted to invite Frank over and make him dinner, and since she couldn’t cook to save her life, she kept asking for advice about recipes and weird ingredient combinations. Nico made her promise not to try anything alone, and made a mental note to look for simple dishes this evening. Persephone could probably help too, since she and Hazel got along pretty well. But knowing her, if Hazel brought her boyfriend home, Persephone would probably try to bury every available flat surface with flowers and change all the dark curtains to something more “welcoming”. 

Actually it might be funny to watch Hades’ reaction to that.

At lunch time, Nico decided to check on Jason. From afar. Because he wasn’t going to go with Hazel's stupid plan, obviously. So he went to the cafeteria but stuck close to the entrance and quickly scanned the crowd of students. The fact that he couldn’t spot him right away meant that either the ghost was gone or Jason wasn’t here. And Nico was pleased to see it was the former. Jason was eating with his friends at a table, looking a lot more relaxed than the day before. There weren't any creepy spirits lurking around either. 

Nico counted it as a victory, even though he knew his charm couldn't possibly work for much longer. He needed a more definitive solution, but that was a good start. 

Nico then went outside and walked around the school to the stairs near a back door and ate there quietly as he checked his phone to see if there were more stupid texts from his sister. Of course, that was when his luck would ran out.

“Hey there, di Angelo! I was sad to see you run off like that! Where have you been?”

Nico jerked his phone out of the way when Octavian tried to grab it. He didn’t seem too upset though, and was smirking at Nico. Bryce Lawrence hovered at his side, with his usual dumb expression. Nico automatically felt the urge to break his nose but calmed himself down. It was a bad idea to let anger take over. He forced himself to take deep breaths and stared at nothing in particular.

“The silent treatment? I’m hurt, Nico, I’m really hurt,” Octavian leaned down, bringing his weasel-like face disgustingly close. “You should’ve learned respect by now.”

Nico felt a rush of wind behind him and turned just in time to dodge a punch. So, it wasn’t just Octavian and Bryce, they had brought two teammates with them. Nico cursed under his breath. He should’ve made a run for it. He could take one opponent in a fair fight, two if necessary, but four was a bit much. Before he could actually try anything, Bryce grabbed his shoulder from behind and shoved him into the wall. 

It probably wasn’t intentional, but his head hit it first, and Nico saw red for a second, feeling pain shoot through his skull. After the pain receded a bit, Nico realized that the muffled noise he heard was actually Bryce and his teammate shouting something in his face while holding him up. Actually, it was probably a question, because they punched him for his lack of reaction. Nico grabbed the wrist holding him with both hands and shoved his foot in Bryce’s stomach. 

He smirked when he saw him move back, but then he felt a punch collide with his jaw. He would’ve been fine if he hadn’t hurt his head before, but in his state Nico just found himself lying on the ground. He didn’t even have the time to stand up before he felt a kick to his stomach, then another. Nico felt his anger bubble up and begin to burn. He wanted to get up, to break their faces, their legs, to bash Octavian’s stupid face in the wall and…

Nico protected his stomach with his arms, closing his eyes tightly. He had to stay calm. He counted slowly and sent his thoughts away into a the far corner of his mind. He felt detached, didn’t even feel any more pain for a few moments.

Needless to say the bell scared the shit out of him. 

Nico blinked a few times and looked around him. Octavian and his goons were gone. Nico realized then that he was still lying on his side and slowly sat up. 

He knew he had to get to class quickly, but his head was full of white noise and it took him a little longer to actually get up and pick up his bag. Then he realized that his bag’s contents had been emptied on the floor, and he had to gather everything up before going back inside. Nico was on auto pilot as he walked into the bathroom and cleaned the blood and dirt off his face as fast as he could. When he finally walked into class, of course he was late, but the teacher didn’t seem to acknowledge his entrance. Bryce smirked at him, and so did his friend, but Nico just sat at his desk and stared at the board. 

It took the whole lesson to properly recover sensation in his body, and by then he felt sore and tired. He vaguely wondered why Octavian had come in person today, but mostly he felt anger rising in his chest. A hot and suffocating feeling tightened his throat and made him want to stand up right now and punch him in the face. Nico heard a sharp crack resonate throughout the classroom and looked down to see that his pen had broken in his hand.

Okay. He needed to breathe slowly and calm himself down. He couldn’t get any more angry, it would only cause troubles. His classmates kept shooting him weird looks, but he couldn’t have cared less. He just wanted to get out of school already. 

Aaaand for that reason, the last hour felt like the longest one of the day. When finally it ended, Nico made sure to look his teacher right in the eye until he turned away. If they wouldn’t help, then the guy might at least feel some guilt. Plus he found slight satisfaction in the act and it calmed him a little. When he got out of class, he felt almost like himself again.

He went straight to his locker, which was very colorful thanks to all the insults painted on it, and leaned his forehead against the cool material. The sounds around him were muffled, a confused mix of feeling buzzing through his head. God, he hated crowds. Even when people weren’t talking, they were so loud. He couldn’t even think normally. 

Nico waited until the hallway had emptied a little, then straightened up and took what he needed from his locker. Once that was done, he picked up his bag again. He would be okay.

He had to be okay.

Nico checked his phone on his way to the entrance. He still had an hour to kill… Maybe he should get home and patch himself up? Not that it would matter, he was going to bruise badly either way. Which reminded him that he had to avoid Persephone for a while now. She would definitely notice the new marks on his face. Why did they always punch him in the face anyway?

And then there was Hazel too. He couldn’t exactly avoid her, but he also didn’t want to his face to her like this. He had to think of something to reassure her. He thought of her for a second, recalling her face when it was full of worry and sadness and clenched the strap of his bag as guilt shot through his mind.

He just couldn’t make her sad anymore. 

Nico walked quickly, praying for some ice or aspirin or something to fall from the sky. He wasn't even out the door when...

“Wait! Nico!”

Nico froze. He had come to recognize that voice perfectly after the last few days. He turned around to see Jason Grace walking toward him.

Nico felt immensely relieved at the sight. The ghost was still gone, at least for now, and Jason seemed perfectly fine. This actually allowed Nico to look more closely at his face. He noticed once again the slightly messy blond hair, piercing blue eyes that were almost hidden behind the glasses he wore, the square jaw, the straight nose, and even the tiny scar on his lip. When he wasn’t hunted by an evil spirit, he was really hot. Nico almost facepalmed at that. He didn’t need those kind of thoughts.

Jason's approach brought him out of his thoughts. He had walked up to Nico with a focused face, lips thin and brows furrowed, but now he looked frozen in surprise. His eyes were wide and his mouth slightly open, which was a little distracting. Dammit, brain!

“You plan on staying there for long? I have to go.”

That seemed to jolt Jason out of his trance. He shook his head and came closer, bringing his hands to Nico’s face.

“Oh my god, what happ-“ Nico slapped his hands away and immediately flinched at the hurt look on Jason’s face. But he quickly recovered, anger replacing the surprise in his expression. “Nico, what happened?”

“Nothing unusual.” Nico averted his eyes, refusing to look at him. He didn’t want anyone to fuss over him right now. Never actually.

“That’s not an answer.”

“Why don’t you ask your dumb teammates then?” Nico spat the word “teammates” like an insult, and Jason looked like he’d been slapped. He kept looking at Nico’s face without moving, and Nico was already sick of it.

“I’m fine, I told you, it’s nothing unusual.” Nico snapped his fingers in front of Jason’s face to get him to focus. “What did you want?”

“Uh...” Jason shook his head, looking puzzled for a second. “It’s… it’s nothing important. You should hurry to the infirmary.” 

Oh God. How could a guy this tall and built look so much like a lost puppy? Maybe it was the glasses? Nico just nodded, he wouldn’t go to the infirmary if he was on the brink of death, but he still felt a little guilty. How did people hold normal conversations? How did he manage to make all of his interactions with people awkward within a few seconds? He searched for a distraction, and then it hit him.

“Is Frank allergic to anything?”

Success! Jason looked confused for a moment, as if his brain couldn’t register the abrupt change of subject. “Wha… what ? Why?” He scrunched up his face a little, and it was really cu- Enough brain! Not helping!

Nico quickly looked away, figuring that that was a safer option. “Hazel's been bugging me all day to help her cook. She wants to invite him over for dinner, and I can’t exactly ask him that without spoiling the surprise.”

“She asked you to help her cook something?”

Nico smiled fondly at that. “She’s amazing, but cooking's really not her thing.” He fixed his gaze on a random spot on the ground behind Jason.

“But it’s yours?” 

Nico lifted his eyes, hearing the smile in words before he saw it on his face. He decided to do the “judgmental-eyebrow" thing. 

“Is it that surprising?” Jason looked at him, raising an eyebrow in return. “Be careful Grace, it’s not nice to judge people based on appearances.”

Jason held up a hand, smiling fully now. “I didn’t say anything,” He smirked. “Just thought it.”

“It’s not my fault you’re a walking cliché,” Nico slid his hands into his pockets and looked around, searching for a clock. “I have to go. But what did you want, really?” Jason was just being nice after all. If Nico couldn’t avoid him, maybe he should try out Hazel’s idea….

But then the easy grin and relaxed look disappeared from Jason’s face. “Who did this?”

Okay, scratch that, Hazel’s plan was dumb. “Bye, Jason.” Nico moved to walk around Jason, ready to bolt if he tried to grab him. Instead Jason followed his movement and blocked his path.

“If someone on the team did it, it concerns me too.” He looked so serious, Nico almost laughed. 

“You’re not responsible for all of them, Jason. That’s supposed to be the teachers’ job.” Nico only hesitated a second before gently pushing past his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it.”

Jason didn’t stop him this time, but he didn’t look satisfied either. Well, Nico had reached his social interaction quota for the day. He ran until he was out of the school, and could breathe again. He wasn’t sure anymore if it was easier to deal with normal Jason or haunted Jason, but he could think about it later. Nico went to the bus stop, ready to work, and get some advice. As he sat on the bench to wait, he felt his phone buzz in his bag. He smiled a little when he saw who had called him.

“Hey, Calypso.”

***Jason***

Jason was in a daze as he changed with his team. He didn’t see lockers and benches, he only saw Nico’s bruised face and heard his resigned voice, “Why don’t you ask your dumb teammates”.

Honestly, Jason had to admit that he didn’t really know all of them well. Some were his friends, some were just acquaintances, and some were actually hard to endure outside of the field. Now that he thought about it, it was very possible that some of them bullying other students. But he hadn’t seen anything, and that was on him. He was responsible for them as their captain, and he was supposed to keep them in line.

Jason tried to listen to the coach as well as he could, but he kept replaying the scene from earlier in his mind.

“You’re not responsible for all of them, Jason. That’s supposed to be the teachers’ job.”

For some reason, Jason had been stunned after hearing those words. He had stayed in the hallway for a full minute trying to figure out what he could’ve said, but he couldn’t think of a single response. He was so used to everyone, even his friends, pushing responsibilities on him and seeking his approval that hearing the opposite had made him feel strangely… happy.

Nico really was full of surprises. 

And Jason had missed his chance to ask him about the charm. But he really couldn’t believe Nico was a bad person somehow, and was it really worth caring so much about a keychain ? It didn’t do any harm. Plus it infuriated Jason to see this boy so resigned, not even caring one bit about what happened to him.

If it really was someone of his team who was responsible, then Jason certainly cared.

Jason focused on practice first, figuring he would have all the time he needed to ambush Dakota later. He knew everything that was going on with the team. Not to mention he didn’t tell him earlier. 

As a result of his reflections, Jason spent the next few hours clenching his teeth and resisting the urge to lash out at his teammates. The coach seemed to pick up on his bad mood and directed most of the training exercises himself, shouting at the players he found “lazy”.

“Come on, cupcakes! You need to be more aggressive! Violent! Blood thirsty!” This may have been relevant if they hadn't simply been running at that moment. And if their coach hadn't been waving a baseball bat. Sometimes his players really wondered what he was doing here. But then again, no one would say that to his face while he was armed.

At the end of practice, they were quick to run to the safety of the locker room while Hedge held up two freshmen.

Jason was quick to shower and to change and went to lean on the wall next to Dakota’s locker. He talked to a few freshmen who came to ask him for advice, and chatted for a few minutes with other teammates that he was better friends with, but they quickly noticed his fake smile. When Dakota came back, Jason was alone.

“Why do I get the feeling I’m gonna get scolded, Captain?” He was obviously trying to be nonchalant about it, but Jason noticed how quickly he adverted his eyes and moved a away from him just a little. Jason let out a heavy sigh. He went to sit on a nearby bench so that his friend would feel less threatened.

“Remember that talk about Nico?”

Dakota furrowed his brows when he got his head out of his collar. “Yeah ? What about it?” He carefully ran his fingers through his hair.

“You didn’t tell me that our teammates were the ones who beat him up.” Dakota froze for a second at that before closing his locker a little too forcefully.

“It’s not that simple.”

“I think it’s pretty simple.”

“Not… exactly.” Dakota turned around, crossing his arms against his chest and looking pointedly at the floor. “They didn’t start it. Octavian did.”

Jason felt his jaw drop and hang open for a few seconds. “Octavian ?” Dakota nodded. “The student council president ?” Dakota nodded again, and Jason shut up. Maybe that was why Nico didn’t want to report them? But that was weird to imagine, Octavian had a nasty personality – he kinda reminded Jason of Drew, except he wasn’t hot or even pretty – but he'd never done anything to get himself into trouble. He liked his position too much.

Dakota mistook his silence for hesitation and finally looked at him in the eyes again. “Listen, Captain. It’s better not to get involved. I mean, that Nico kid's already got that reporting Octavian won’t amount to anything, and even if you get the guys on the team to stop, he'll just find other pawns and get back at the kid.”

“You don’t seem too upset about letting them hit a 'kid'” It was weird to call Nico that since he actually seemed more mature than most of the students at the school, but it got the effect he wanted. Dakota obviously flinched, guilt distorting his face.

“I just… I don’t want any trouble, that’s all.” He seemed to curl in on himself as he heard his own words and Jason took pity of him. 

"Okay, thanks for telling me.” Jason got back on his feet and squeezed Dakota's shoulder before heading out. “And you’re almost half decent when you’re not drunk, you know.”

Dakota swatted his hand away and smiled a little.

“Whatever you say, Captain. But I’m definitely drinking after that.”

***Leo***

Leo was pouting, muttering a plethora of curses under his breath and attracting weird stares from people. He couldn’t help it, his life sucked these days.

First there was the break up of his two best friends, which obviously led to maximum awkwardness, long pauses, and a sudden inability to look each other in the eyes. It was really getting on his nerves.

And then there was his boss from the garage who asked him to work extra hours this week. Granted, he was happy for the extra money, and he needed it actually, but he didn't particularly feel too happy about having less time to himself. In fact, he preferred very much to complain loudly about it, which took him back to his friends' break up because he couldn’t even get them to hold a real conversation, much less listen to him rant. 

Leo sighed dramatically, crossing his arms behind his head while he waited to cross the street. He always felt like a third wheel with his friends, and in spite of everything, he had been secretly happy when Jason and Piper broke up. But only for a second before he heard Piper sobbing on the phone, because then he felt so guilty it almost made him sick. He wished that the mix of sadness and anger had been his first reaction, but he couldn’t change that.

Now all he could do was to wait for those two to settle into this new but familiar routine, and then they could go back to being the trio of friends they were before. Maybe. He really hoped so.

As Leo started walking again, he saw a flash of white on the opposite sidewalk and almost walked into a traffic sign when he saw her. 

The white that he had seen belonged to a white dress, and the girl wearing it was stunning. She had long, caramel hair pulled in a loose ponytail, and even from afar Leo couldn't help but swoon. She was just that beautiful. She had a brown coat over her dress and brown boots, and she was currently talking on the phone.

Leo couldn’t look away. She seemed fairly tall. Could she be taller than him ? Either way, she was totally out of his league. Jason would probably have a better chance with her. But that hadn’t discouraged Leo before, and he wondered if she would ignore him or at least answer him if he tried to talk to her.

Before he could decide, he saw her enter a book shop. He waited a few seconds before he started walking again. It was close to the garage he worked at, so he could come back later. Maybe she worked here? Leo smiled to himself and decided the next time he came down this road, he would definitely check the place out. 

At the very least, he could take Jason with him and make him suffer second hand humiliation if the girl was there. That would cheer him up. Who knows?

Obviously Leo had to stop at five or six shops along the way, just to be late and piss off his boss. But it was definitely worth it.


	6. Chapter 6

*** Nico***

Nico pushed the door of the bookshop and sighed. It was so warm inside. He quickly shrugged off his jacket, wrapped it loosely around his arm, and looked around. The sign said open, but there was no one inside. Unless…

“Aren’t you supposed to be working?” Nico set his belongings near the counter and walked around it to find Calypso sitting on the floor, reading something.

“Nope, I’m just a guest today,” She smiled at him, patting the floor next to her, but he shook his head.

“Sorry, but I really need to see Hestia.”

“Because of that ghost, I know.” She looked at him pointedly. “But she’s not back yet.”

Nico hesitated one second before sliding onto the floor and resting his head on the counter. His head hurt a lot more now, but it didn’t bother him too much. He just wished he could sleep for a day. Or two. Suddenly getting up seemed impossible. Then he felt something brush his cheek.

“I thought you knew how to dodge?” 

He opened his eyes to see Calypso leaning toward him with a crease on her brow.

“I do.” He turned his head a little. “What are you reading ?” Calypso flipped the book closed to show him the front, and Nico raised an eyebrow. “The Odyssey? Again?”

“I like my classics.” She set the book aside and brought her knees up to her chest. “So, how about you tell me about this ghost now?”

Nico launched into the story before she even finished her sentence. There were very few people who Nico was actually willing to talk to, and even fewer who knew about his abilities, but Calypso was a lot like him. Like Hazel, she was skilled when it came to predicting things and reading people, but she could also see spirits. Basically, she was sort of his partner in crime, at least when she was in town. She was a college student but took mostly online courses, so she spent a lot of time travelling.

Nico tried to tell her everything he could about the spirit haunting Jason, but describing the sensations precisely proved difficult. He figured he managed pretty well though.

After his description, Calypso tapped her lips with her fingers, deep in thought.

“You know, I don’t think you’ll be able to get rid of it without that boy noticing.”

“That was so helpful. I totally don’t feel like I’ve wasted my time.”

“Oh hush.” She lightly slapped his arm. “I mean, basically, if you want to get rid of that kind of spirit, you need the haunted person to actually confront them, kind of.”

“Or, maybe get rid of the other anchors?” 

Calypso looked at him doubtfully. “It’s strong. Really strong. Honestly, I don’t think it even needs Jason to stay, it’s more like… a side effect of it being there?” Nico rubbed his temples, gesturing with his right hand. “It’s so damn present! At first I couldn’t even look at Jason!”

Calypso just hummed and gently squeezed his shoulder. Nico couldn’t help but relax at the touch. At least he had someone who could actually help in this mess.

“It’s gonna be difficult, especially if you don’t even know its identity.” Then she smirked at him, and he could feel himself smile in return. “But I’ll help if I can.”

“This place is supposed to be a bookshop, and you’re supposed to be the employees, children.”

Nico and Calypso raised their heads quickly upon hearing the voice, effectively banging the backs of their skulls against the counter. Hestia was standing before them, her red jacket under her arm and her dark hair pulled up in a loose ponytail. Nico winced as he stood up, holding the back of his head and feeling his eyes begin to water.

“Hi Hestia,” He said when he recovered his bearings. She hugged him quickly, and then did the same with Calypso, patting her head gently.

“Now, you know I don’t pay you to sit around and do nothing.” Hestia simply stared them down until Nico sighed and went to get the books Calypso had dropped all over the floor. Calypso did the same, but complained with a pout on her face. Others probably would’ve found that cute, but Nico thought it made her look like a cartoon octopus. Then again, his opinions weren’t popular.

“I’m not even supposed to work today!” Despite her complaints, she still picked up her book and Hestia smiled softly at her.

“Thanks for the very generous donation of your time, then.” Hestia went to get stools and put them behind the counter. She then got a thermos out of her backpack, and before long the three of them were sitting there, drinking coffee – or rather, Nico and Hestia were, Calypso didn’t like coffee for some inexplicable reason.

For a while, Hestia and Calypso made small talk. Calypso talked about her studies, and Nico just sat there quietly. Hestia was actually Calypso’s aunt, and they were basically estranged from the rest of their family at this point, so it was nice to see them together like this. Nico didn’t feel like adding anything and was just content to watch them for a while. But then Hestia turned to him with a sip of her drink, brown eyes now serious and focused.

“So, about that ghost...” 

He huffed shortly.

“Yeah, that ghost.”

“Did you ask your father about it? Maybe he could tell you who it is?” Nico just shook his head.

“He’s not home.” He didn’t offer any details, but that didn’t seem to bother the two women.

“You’ll have to find out then.” Hestia leaned towards him, with her chin in her palm. “If you don’t want to tell that boy what’s stuck to him, fine, but you’ll have to ask him some things. Things that will surely put him on edge. And even with the right information, it’ll still be difficult to get rid of the spirit.” She gave him a pointed look. “I don’t know this boy personally, but I assume he’s not stupid. He will notice you’re up to something, sooner or later.”

“I know that.” _I just hope it’s later. Way later._

Nico didn’t say it, but he may as well have. Calypso put her hand on his arm with a strained smile on her face.

“It’s not always a bad thing, Nico.” He had to stop himself from laughing at that. Calypso had spent all of her high school years isolated because people had started rumors about her strange behavior early, and no one ever denied them. When she tried to talk to her family about it, they just decided she was going through a “phase” or something and had thrown her in boarding school for her last year. She never talked about it, like how Nico never talked about himself, but they both still knew what the other had gone through.

Nico knew he was lucky. At least his family knew what he was. That didn’t mean he felt lucky.

“Whatever. I expected advice you know, not a summary of what I already knew.”

At that, a lopsided smile appeared on Hestia’s face.

“Actually, I might have something. You said that boy’s name is Jason Grace, right?” Nico nodded, not sure where this was going. “I’m pretty sure I know his father then.” Nico’s eyes widened, and his mug made a loud thump on the counter.

“Really?”

“Yes. So keep what I told you in mind, but don’t do anything else. First, I’ll try to find out who that ghost is. Then we’ll see from there.” He nodded, and then suddenly the sound of the bell at the door rang out. 

There were actually two entrances to the shop. The one in the front was for the book shop, while the one in the back looked like a house entrance from the outside. It was there that Hestia did readings and sold all kinds of charms and protections. The two doors had different bells, and this one had been from Hestia’s side.

“Back to work. Calypso, help me out?”

“Sure. Later Nico.” The two of them stood up, leaving a mess of stools and mugs.

“Don’t slack off!” Nico called before taking the last sip of his now cold coffee and getting up to clean up the mess.

“Nico?”

He turned sharply, surprised to see Calypso still standing there. She looked lost for a second, then nodded to herself and raised her chin with a determined look.

“Actually, I have a favor to ask.”

“I literally just told you to do your job.” He stared at her pointedly, but that only seemed to anger her.

“Oh come on! It’s not that! I just…” She looked unsure, biting her lip, and then she took out her phone and held it out to him. “What do you think?”

Nico took it, curious to examine the screen which showed a picture. It was an old house, and probably an abandoned one too, with the state of its windows and walls. Nevertheless, it was still standing and imposing. It probably hadn’t been in that state for too long. It was a three story house, probably as large as Nico’s home, and it gave off an oppressive kind of feel with its heavy ornaments and dark roof. 

Nico looked at it more closely, then back at Calypso.

“I don’t recommend it. It’ll be a nightmare to restore.”

“Thanks Nico, I totally wouldn’t have come up with that myself.” Nico smirked at her and she snatched her phone back. “I came by this house on my way here. It’s a little way away from the town and I felt something weird... I want to check it out.”

“You want to ‘check out’ a probably haunted mansion?” She nodded. “Have you told Hestia about it?” She gave him the most innocent look she could muster, and Nico shook his head, already resigned. “You’ve never done this kind of thing, have you?”

“No… But you have, right ? So maybe you could come with me? If it’s bad, we can just get out and tell Hestia about it.”

“Why not tell her now?”

Calypso turned her head, her hair slipping over her shoulder.

“She’s… worried about me. I mean, it’s better now, but she wouldn’t let me do this. Doing readings? Sure. Helping to make the charms? Of course. But actually deal with spirits? Never.” Calypso leaned against the wall, suddenly looking smaller. “If I want to help people like she does one day, I need to start somewhere.” She tilted her head and smirked at him. “And I’ll be safer with you than alone, right?”

“…Alright. When do you want to go ?” 

“Thank you! Don’t worry, I’m serious, if it’s really bad, we’ll just back out and call Hestia!” Calypso had brightened up in less than a second, and Nico couldn’t help but let out a short breath. He didn’t have many friends, so he should at least help the one of the few he had. But he still glared at her.

“I already said yes, no need to persuade me. So when?” He turned to sit back on his stool.

“This week end? Maybe Saturday? Do we need to go at night or is any time is fine ?” She scrunched up her face a little. Calypso was indeed gifted, but she also lacked experience. Nico was starting to worry. Being clueless around a lost ghost wasn’t exactly detrimental, though it made the whole thing ten times more difficult to settle. But being clueless around a hostile one? Or simply being in one’s domain? He would stick with her, of course, but spirits affected the mind too, and he couldn’t protect her from that. At least not constantly.

“It’s better to explore during the day. Trust me, it’ll be creepy enough as it is. And bring a flashlight, our phones probably won’t hold. Bring something to protect yourself with too.” Calypso just nodded, and Nico rubbed his neck uncomfortably, racking his brain for any more important information. “And remember that if it is a haunted house, the place is basically under the ghost’s control. The ghost makes the rules. So we stick together, we don’t get separated by a door if we can help it, and when we enter the house, don’t go wander around. We’ll stay quiet at the entrance at to test the waters. Got it?” Since Calypso was just staring at him with empty eyes, irritation was quick to sneak in. “Or maybe I’ll just lose you in the basement or something in the very haunted house so no one can disturb me at work.”

She slapped his arm lightly.

“Nico! I was just impressed there, you ruined it.” She put her hands in her lap, dropping her gaze. “I’m sorry to bother you with this, but don’t worry, I’ll follow your lead.”

Nico made a vague gesture with his hand in response. “Don’t worry about it, I’m a little curious too. Now go back to work.” Calypso nodded and got up to head back to Hestia. She was almost out of sight when Nico suddenly called out, “Wait! Do you know whose house that was?”

“I don’t remember… There was a nameplate with a long name on it, but it was I was kind of far away and didn’t really stop to look.”

“Well, I guess we’ll see then.”

***Jason***

“You don’t understand. She was stunning, gorgeous, a goddess on earth!”

“Okay, now you’re just blowing this up to get my attention.” Jason smiled indulgently at his friend, happy to speak with Leo normally again. Even if talking about girls was the last thing on his mind right then. He was actually starting to enjoy his day after spending so long thinking about the bullies on his team and how to stop them.

“Okay, maybe a little. But I still want to check out that bookshop. Come with me, pleaaaaase? It’ll be a really touching bonding experience!” For some reason, Leo’s puppy eyes made him look like a fish… Jason just rolled his eyes on reflex.

“Me watching you hit on a girl? Yeah, that sounds like great bounding activity. Thanks Leo, you’re really the glue that keeps up all together.”

“I know, right? I can even get you real superglue if you actually want to stick us together.”

“I mean that’s clearly my long life dream, but I think I’ll pass.”

“Hey, we should get Percy to come too! With you two there, there’s a chance she’ll actually talk to us.”

“Or run away.” They entered the school, and Jason waved to some of his classmates while Leo not-too-subtly walked behind him in order to avoid the flood of students. Jason smirked at him over his shoulder.

“You’re so negative, Cap. Is a certain someone rubbing off on you ~?” They finally got to Leo’s locker, and he was taking his sweet time opening the extra locks he put on it. 

“What do you mean?” Jason frowned at the look Leo gave him. His friend was waggling his eyebrows and winking and it was just weird. “Your face is being weird, stop it.”

“Frank told me you were getting all friendly with Ghostbuster.” Leo put his hands on his hips, all proud and smirking. “Are you gonna go emo too? Is it a side effect of the break up?”

“You mean Nico, right? And don’t talk about him like that. We’re not exactly friendly, he was just humoring me because Hazel introduced us or something. He probably can’t stand me.” For some reason the words stumbled out of his mouth before he realized he had said them, but they made sense. Jason sighed. It was way too early to try to understand Nico di Angelo, especially without him there.

“I didn’t mean to make you all depressed about it.” Leo dropped his hands again, letting them fidget in his pockets as he leaned against the lockers. “Did something happen with him?”

Jason could hear the hesitation in Leo’s voice, as if he wasn’t sure he had the right to ask. Which was stupid, Leo was his best friend. But still… Jason thought about Nico at night, Nico who was so obviously pale and shaken up with mud on his shoes when he happened to find him that day. He thought about Nico driving him home, and how he was calm one second and angry the next. He thought about the charm on his keys and the bruises on the boy’s face that he now knew the real story behind. Jason already decided not to say anything. If he wanted any hope of getting along with Nico, he knew he just couldn’t bring up any of this yet. 

“Nothing really, I just get the feeling he really hates me sometimes and I don’t get why.”

“Meh, don’t bother with him. He probably hates the world and writes poems about death in his journal.”

“Leo!”

“What?” 

Jason just stared him down until his friend shrugged and began to walk to their classes. He knew Leo just wanted to cheer him up, but he still felt bad hearing him talk about Nico like this. Especially after hearing about his teammates. Jason simply huffed and followed his friend, hoping something in his day would distract him from these thoughts.

The rest of the day proved uneventful. Jason couldn’t bring himself to argue with his teammates just yet, at least not until he had more names. Even then, if Octavian was really involved, it wouldn’t solve anything. He needed a better strategy if he wanted to help Nico, but what…? Jason actually tried to look for him during the day, but he was nowhere to be seen.

In the end, Leo won with his “Let’s-woo-the -hottie” plan – and really, Jason was so embarrassed by his friend sometimes - he even managed to talk Percy into this, since Annabeth had stayed at the library to study. As the exited the school, Jason noticed the way Leo kept glancing at him, though he simply smiled in response as they walked towards the shop. He was a great friend. A little embarrassing, but still great. He could endure some bad humor and ridiculous plans if he had to.

The bookshop they went to was really old fashioned, at least judging from the front of the store. It had an ancient looking sign on it that read “Pandora’s bookshelf.” It was a little weird, but definitely not the weirdest thing he’d ever seen. Leo just kept chatting all the way to the store, and even now he was still exchanging stupid wooing tips or something with Percy. Jason really didn’t want to hear, so he mostly focused on the books in the display window. There was a new series and some popular books, but also some old ones, including classics that he had read in class. 

Jason squinted his eyes, trying to get a better look at the inside of the shop, but more bookshelves blocked his view.

“You coming, Jay?” Percy was back to his cheerful self, thankfully, and Jason followed him and Leo inside. 

It was pretty cozy, more like a library than a bookshop, with wooden furniture and warm colors. Jason let his gaze wander to take in the sight of all the books there. Maybe he could buy one? He hadn’t read anything recently, and he missed it. Since he was deep in thought, it took Jason a few seconds to register the silence that had come over his friends. Jason raised his head to first see Percy looking scared and Leo looking confused. He followed their gazes to the counter where Nico was looking back at them, eyebrow raised. Also, his hair was tied up. In a ponytail. With orange clips on the sides. Jason was totally confused, totally unprepared to the sight of Nico here after spending the day looking for him. And he felt the sudden urge to come closer and tuck the loose hair that framed his face behind his ears.

Instead Jason shook his head and smiled at him. He wasn’t quite sure what to do, but standing around like a statue made him fell even worse. 

“Hey, Nico.” Oh God, even that sounded like a question.

Nico looked at him and smirked. He didn’t seem bothered at all. If anything, he looked more amused.

“Well look at that! He can speak.”


	7. Chapter 7

***Nico***

Nico didn't sleep well. At all. But that doesn't mean he didn't try. Worry kept him awake for most of the night. He was worried about Jason, about Calypso, and also about Hazel, even though logically he knew there wasn't any real reason to be worried about her. He just couldn't help it.

So that's why he had big dark circles under his eyes in the morning. With his collection of bruises, he looked like the epitome of depressed victims of bullying everywhere, not that he really cared. The more he involved himself with spirits and ghosts, the less relevant his actual daily life seemed. He logically knew that wasn't a good thing and that he was running from his problems and blah blah blah, but at this point, even if he was running, nobody would care. It was probably for the best. Nico was long past the point of believing that taking care of himself was important.

School was a blur, and he was pretty sure he avoided an ambush near locker, but he was too distracted to really pay attention. At lunch, he only hesitated a few minutes before exiting the school and walking to the nearest bus station. 

Hestia wasn't surprised to see him earlier. There was already a cup of coffee waiting for him as soon as he entered the bookshop, and she only gave him a pointed glance.

“Skipping school is no good, child.”

Nico scoffed, throwing his bag on the counter and heading for the back of the shop.

There was a room between the sections of the shop. Between the book store and the psychic consultation area, a set of stairs led to Hestia's “living space”. Basically, there was her room, a study, a small kitchen and a door that led to the bathroom. Nico had stayed here a few times when he couldn't stand being at home, so he knew his way around and Hestia trusted him not to intrude on her privacy. 

He navigated through the boxes of unpacked books to make his way to the kitchen. As he walked in, he saw that very little had changed since the last time he'd been there. The only new things were the flowers on the round table, and a new basket for Hestia's cat who was currently on the window sill. 

The cat returned Nico's look with intense yellow eyes before hissing at him and racing out of the room. Nico just sighed and went to one of the cupboards to get a snack. He had left earlier without eating – again. But he didn't do it on purpose! And he definitely needed sugar and caffeine to get through the rest of the day. 

“Hey you,” Calypso leaned on the door, nodding to him and stiffling a yawn. Her hair was gathered in a messy bun, held up by brown and orange pins. Actually, most of the time she could fit in a sepia photograph, given the colors of her hair and clothes. Even her eyes had that effect. It was an interesting picture, since she often sounded more…ancient that she really was.

“If you tell me you were asleep, I'll murder you.”

“I wish. I was working on a paper. What about you? Shouldn't you be in school?”

“I have no idea what you're talking about.”

Calypso hummed a little and turned around. Nico heard her boots on the stairs and followed her quickly. When he came back in the shop, she was putting her jacket on and so was Hestia.

“Where are you two going?”

Hestia just smiled, slipping her dark gloves on. “We're going to see someone. Watch the shop for me.”

“You realize I shouldn't even be working this afternoon, right?”

“And yet here you are.” 

Nico just shook his head in exasperation and sat at his usual place. However, before he could relax, he felt something pulling on his hair.

“Hey!” Nico turned his head to see Calypso standing behind him with a mischievous smile on her face.

“Don't be like that! Just wait a second, it's going to look great.” Nico made a point of to pouting and sighing very loudly while she worked, but his friend immune to it by now. After a while, he heard her click her tongue. “This is so frustrating! Why is your hair so uneven?"

Nico just shrugged, prompting her to roll her eyes in irritation. After a few more seconds of muttering to herself, she put something in his hair to hold it in place. The metallic click he heard told him that it was probably one of her own clips.

“There! Color actually suits you, you know~”

Nico scowled and reached for the back of his head, but Calypso slapped his hand away. “No ruining my masterpiece! At least not until I get back.”

“I'm sorry, but what's the point of this?”

“I don't know, but I'm sure there is one, don't worry.”

Hestia called her from the door, and Calypso left in a hurry, barely managing waving to Nico as she rushed out. He simply crossed his arms on the counter and let his head fall forward. He took a moment to just appreciate the quiet, the tranquility that came with being surrounded by books, and the familiar scent of Hestia's home. 

After a few minutes of rest, Nico decided he would try and be productive by starting on his homework. It was peaceful, with very few clients coming in- which was understandable since the shop wasn't very well known- and even the damn cat stayed away. Nico actually managed to finish his work pretty fast, and was soon left with nothing but books and silence.

Heaven on earth.

The customers were even less common by mid-afternoon, and after going through a few bookshelves, he sat again with a pile of short novels. He was about halfway through his stack when the doorbell rang again. Nico cast a quick glance at the entrance, still engrossed in his book and not quite ready to put it down, but then he froze at the sight that greeted him. 

Percy Jackson was staring at him with wide eyes. 

...

Okay, first of all, what was Percy fucking Jackson even doing in a bookshop? He usually didn't want anything to do with books... Unless the circumstances involved Annabeth. Of course. Beside him there was a boy Nico recognized only because Hazel hung out with him often. He had a kind of impish look, the kind that always screamed “trouble!” and that the teachers noticed right away. Nico tried his best, but it took him a fair amount of time to remember his name. Leo Valdez, right. Who was also frozen there like he had just been struck by lightning.

And then the bell rang again. This time Jason walked in.

Nico tensed immediately but then relaxed. The ghost wasn't back yet.

Not to mention Jason seemed totally oblivious to his friends discomfort. He looked dazed as his gaze fixed on the books around him and he took a few steps forward. Nico simply dropped his chin in his hand and waited for one of them to say something. It was actually somewhat amusing to see two high schoolers older than him scared of.... What? Books? Emo kids? Either way it was fun, and Nico was used to awkward silences anyway. 

It took a moment, but Jason raised his eyes and seemed as confused as his friends.

“Hey, Nico?” He said uncertainly. 

Nico just smirked at that, not even trying to hide him amusement.

“Well look at that! He can speak.” Jason seemed to curl in on himself at that. His head dropped and unease was clearly written on his face. Immediately, Nico felt guilty, but still not guilty enough to overlook the presence of the two frozen idiots by the entrance. “Are you actually gonna buy something...?”

Leo gaped at him a few more seconds before suddenly coming back to life. He pointed his finger at him in what was maybe possibly an accusatory gesture.

“You're not a hot girl!”

Nico's eyes widened. He wasn't expecting that. 

“Leo!”

Percy almost choked, and Jason wasn't much better off. Nico scoffed, but now he was a little more curious about why they'd entered Hestia's bookshop. 

“Really now? I never would've guessed. Should I congratulate you for pointing that out?”

Leo scrunched up his face and walked to the shelves, looking between them. Jason just facepalmed while Percy was probably liquefied in the background. This was priceless. Nico leaned forward a bit more on his hand.

“Looking for something ?”

“Don't bother with us peasants, please go back to ignoring us.” Leo disappeared behind books and Nico couldn't hold back his laughter anymore. He burst out laughing with more enjoyment than he'd felt in a while. 

When he looked up, he first saw piercing green eyes staring back at him before they suddenly flicked away to evade him. His good mood died immediately. He returned his attention to the only safe option left. 

Except when he looked back at Jason, he noticed that his glasses were a little crooked and had to resist the urge to straighten them. Maybe this option wasn't so safe after all. Nevertheless, he spoke again. 

“Are you just going to stand around too...?”

Jason, who had been watching Leo, turned back at Nico with a start. He fidgeted a little before his gaze landed on the novel Nico had been reading. He leaned in a little closer to read the words a little easier, and a smug look came over his face. 

“Really Nico? And you say I'm the cliché ?” When Nico quirked an eyebrow in response, Jason looked pointedly at his edition of the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with a smile. “I can't tell if it's a coincidence or just you being really ironic.”

“It's an interesting novel, you uneducated jock. Not to mention the basis for a lot of other stories and parodies based on split personalities.” 

Jason put his hands on his heart and put on an expression of hurt that was so fake it was funny. But Nico didn't laugh. Not at all. Well, maybe he smiled just a little. 

“You wound me! I'm hurt!”

“You'll live.”

Jason let his gaze travel down to the rest of the books on the counter, tapping his fingers on the tabletop and finally readjusting his glasses.

“So, you're working here?”

“Obviously." Nico noticed Percy had disappeared from his spot near the entrance, but he didn't comment on it. Even if he felt his insides twist and his throat tighten a little, it was all dull pain. He barely noticed it. Suddenly Jason's eyes became serious, and he didn't say anything for a few moments.

His eyes really were a vivid shade of blue. Nico was suddenly reminded of how that color would be hidden and blurred when the ghost came back. He felt his determination grow. He had to do something.

“Hey-”

”You-”

Jason and Nico both stopped, and an awkward silence came over them. They stared at each other for a moment before Jason suddenly burst out laughing. Nico felt obliged to scowl.

“Stop it Grace.”

“Sorry, sorry! You surprised me!”

“And you're irritating me.”

Jason swept his hand behind the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.

“I just... I wanted to talk to you today, and I couldn't find you at school, but I definitely didn't expected you here.” Jason shrugged then, his hands now still. “Can I ask you something ?”

Nico stayed silent and observed Jason. His whole posture seemed to change. He stood up straighter, his eyes became a little harder and colder, and his lips formed a thin line.

“No."

“Well you see-” Jason blinked and his composure slipped again. “Wait, what?”

“I’m sensing a dangerous subject that I definitely won't want to discuss. So no.”

“Nico-“

“Still no.”

“Can I just… Did you go to school at all today ?”

Nico blinked, not sure where this was going, but he nodded hesitantly. The silence returned and he found himself starting to fidget again, twisting the ring on his finger as he awkwardly looked around. Then he let his hands fall on the counter, pissed at himself. If he didn’t want to involve himself too much with Jason, then he had no reason to bother with his reaction. He was used to people being uncomfortable in his presence, and he was used to ignoring them too. Despite this, for some reason, Jason tried to talk to him, and for some reason it bothered Nico that this jock was uncomfortable around him. 

“So,” Nico finally said. Jason straightened up, like a student about to be tested by a teacher, which was sort of funny. Hazel had described him before as an intimidating person, but he honestly didn't see it. “What are you really doing here ?” 

Jason’s smile was so genuine when Nico asked him that question. It was like he was glad to be asked, and Nico had to look away. People just weren’t happy when he talked to them, this was weird.

“It was Leo’s idea.”

“To do what? I'm guessing it wasn't a plan to find a good book.”

“To woo some hottie.”

Stare.

“I repeat, this was Leo’s idea. He said he saw a really cute girl who probably worked here and wanted to talk to her.” Nico gave a dry laugh. “You’re not the only one working here, are you?”

“Well there’s my boss, who’s older, so if your friend is into that…” Nico couldn’t contain his smile for long. “Are you really all here just to hit on a girl who may or may not work here?"

“That’s half the reason. The other half is probably Leo wanting to cheer me up.” Jason looked lost in thoughts for a second before raising his head. “At least I got to talk to you.” 

Nico tensed immediately, and he was pretty sure Jason noticed too because he didn’t add anything. He simply waited. Nico started to drum his fingers on the counter.

“Why do you bother with me, Jason?” Nico cut him off before he tried to answer. “And if you tell me it’s because I need help, or because you pity me, you better not say anything at all.”

Jason stayed silent for a bit, playing with the hem of his sleeve.

“I just think you’re interesting. That’s all.” He dropped his gaze, putting his hands back in his pockets. “I want to be your friend.” He managed to stand like that for at least thirty seconds before raising his head again. “Are you mad at me ?”

“No… Just surprised.” Nico started twisting his ring again. “I’m still not convinced you're not just working some charity case.”

Jason made a vague hand gesture, all smiles and casualty again. “I’ll just have to convince you then. So, it's really just you and your boss here?”

“Well, there’s also her cat, Hope, and who's technically a girl.” Nico smirked when Jason rolled his eyes. It was stupid. Even if he wanted to be his friend, it wouldn’t work. For an infinite number of reasons. It was stupid. “But I think he’s looking for Calypso, even if she isn’t really an employee.”

“Calypso?”

“My boss’s niece. She comes here to work or to bug me sometimes.” Nico picked his book back up, but kept himself turned to Jason so that he knew he was still listening.

“So she gets to be your friend? Maybe I should talk to her after all.”

“I don’t think that’ll go well, but please, do try.” Nico stared at Jason, expecting him to look away, but he looked right back with a goofy smile. “Stop it, Grace.”

“What ?”

“You know what. It’s irritating.”

Jason just made a point to smile wider.

***Jason***

Jason was surprised, and honestly a little annoyed. But mostly he was happy. It was a strange mix.

He had really wanted to talk to Nico about the bullies on the team, but his obvious reluctance to do so was unnerving. At least he didn't get the silent treatment. Nico was still talking to him, and even after a few minutes, they were still chatting. It was mostly about books, but it was actually fun.

Nico seemed to like almost any kind of book, and it sounded like he could read anything from poetry to mystery to fantasy and enjoy it all the same. That too was surprising, for no real reason. He told Jason that he often went to the school library during lunch when he wasn’t outside, and with all the time he spent working at the book shop, it would be strange if he hadn’t read at least that much.

“I’m the one who should be surprised. I thought football was your thing.” Nico was more relaxed now, leaning heavily on his arm, his hair messier than before. One of the clips in it was twisted.

“Football isn’t my thing…”

“Really Captain?” Jason sighed at that, feeling tired just thinking about it.

“I don’t… I mean I like football, but it’s not…” For some reason it proved harder to explain that to Nico than to Leo. Nevertheless he was patiently waiting for him to get the right words out. Nico seemed much more mature than his age. He was patient and mindful, even if he kept slipping sarcastic remarks into the conversation.

“Captain?” Jason gave a start at the sound of Leo's voice at that. Immediately he felt guilty because he'd totally forgotten about Leo and Percy and who were now standing by the door. “Do you want to leave, or…?”

“Sorry guys, I’m coming!” He turned back to Nico, who looked thoroughly engrossed in his book, even though he hadn’t turned a page since the beginning of their conversation. He could already feel Nico closing himself off again, and the thought saddened him. Why couldn’t he speak more openly like before? 

“Nico, will you be at school tomorrow ?”

“No. I don't think anyone will be at school tomorrow, Grace.” There was a pause, and Nico raised an eyebrow after Jason stayed silent for too long, confused. “You know? The weekend?”

“Oh right! I mean-!” Stupid! If he didn’t sound desperate before, he probably did then. “I meant Monday ?”

“I’ll be there, stop freaking out.” Nico went back to his book, effectively ending the conversation. “And buy something next time.”

“Okay.” Jason cast a last glance around the room, drinking the sight of the warm colors, the books, the faint dust smell, and Nico sitting in the middle of it all with a book and a mug of cold coffee. With one last breath of the bookstore's warm air, he opened the door and walked out. 

Outside it was a lot colder. Jason zipped his jacket up and took off to catch up with his friends. He told Leo about that Calypso girl, and immediately his good mood returned, along with a determination to go back to the book store later on. Percy just seemed confused and lost.

“What did you two talk about?” he asked. Jason looked at him. Leo was, well, enthusiastically skipping ahead of them, scaring the people out on the street, but Percy’s brow was furrowed. His expression was much more serious than usual. “I mean, with Nico, you… He talks to you so…”

“Normal stuff, I guess? But mostly books.” They stopped at a crosswalk. “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but couldn't you try to talk to him if there's something you want to say to him...?”

Percy looked angry at that, and Jason was a little relieved. An angry Percy was better than a depressed one.

“I can’t! When I tried he just ran from me, or shouted at me!”

“When was that?”

“… Some time ago…”

They all waited in tense silence to cross the road.

“Way to kill the mood.”

“Please Leo…”

“No no, enough gloom stuff for today, we didn’t get a cute girl, but we can get a good dinner, so let’s do that!” 

Jason let himself be dragged by Leo, and Percy did the same. Naturally he asked for the only diner in town that served blue food. Indeed, Leo was a good friend, and Jason had to remember to get him an awesome christmas present this year.

***Calypso***

Calypso kept fidgeting with the hem of her jacket, unsure what to do. She hated this, this feeling of helplessness and uselessness, but even she knew that there wasn’t much she could do right then. She was sitting in her car, in front of the supposedly haunted house. Was it really haunted? It sure felt that way.

She shifted in her seat again before hearing a motor outside. She got out so fast she was dizzy for a moment, but the noise of the door slamming woke her up. Then she saw Nico on his bike parking beside her, all in black, with his usual jacket and a small backpack. He took his helmet off, and looked at the house for a few seconds before turning to her.

“Well, congratulations. It's haunted."

“You can tell from here?”

“Yeah.”

He walked toward the house, and they both stopped side by side at the propriety gates. It was a cold day, but the sky was clear. Even if the house was dirty and visibly deserted, it was still beautiful, in a grand, pompous way. But Calypso felt a chill go up her spine, even as she did her best to keep a neutral face on. 

She needed it. She needed to deal with this, needed to learn how to do it, and she would be safe learning with Nico. She turned to him, and he was looking at her, his dark gaze unwavering, focused on her eyes.

“You ready?”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

As they started walking, Calypso took a few pictures. She made sure to have a few shots of the surrounding property, the house, the gates, and the plate with name of the old landlord.

Ramirez-Arellano.

She raised an eyebrow as she looked at it for the first time clearly.

“Huh. Cool name.”


	8. Chapter 8

***Nico***

"That sounds really... Stereotypical."

"Because it is."

"Isn't it risky ?"

Nico turned to his sister. Hazel had been following him around and breathing down his neck since she woke up, and though it was nice to know that she cared about him, it was starting to get annoying. Was he that unreliable?

Well actually he could see why she would think that.

Nico closed his backpack after putting his flashlight in. He was only bringing basic stuff like salt, a few charms, chalks, and some other basic supplies to protect him and Calypso. It should be enough for scouting the house. After doing that, he gently patted Hazel's head, smiling when she pouted at him.

"It'll be fine, don't worry. We won't stay long, and if there's something really nasty in there, we'll back off.»

"I still think you should tell Hestia." Hazel had been particularly unhappy with that particular decision and hadn't missed a single opportunity to express it. But it was almost time to meet Calypso at the house, and Nico didn't want to betray his friend's trust. Beside, he knew for a fact that he could get Calypso out of any bad situation. He would make sure she returned unharmed.

"We'll tell her. Later." Nico slung the backpack over his shoulder and picked up his helmet. "I'm off then." He kissed his sister on the cheek and rushed out.

It was cold outside, but the sky was pale and clear. Nico gazed up for a few moments before putting his helmet on and walking over to his bike. He was calm, which was a good thing. This was different from Jason's problem. Exploring a potentially haunted location, solving the situation if needed, this was familiar ground.

The trip to the house was a little long, as it was on the outskirts of the town and the property around it was huge. Not to mention the road was rocky on the way there, so Nico had to go a little slower than he would've wished. After a while, he first saw the house, just like looked in the picture, and then his friends car, which was parked a little way away from the gates. Calypso got out just as he stopped his bike beside her.

After taking his helmet off, Nico stared at the house. He took in the sight of it, the dirty exterior, the big ornaments, and the slightly damaged dark roof. It was imposing, opressing, and Nico felt his gut twist. It was cold outside, sure. But the house didn't feel cold or empty. It felt dead, and angry.

"Well, congratulations. It's haunted." 

Calypso looked surprised at that.

"You can tell from here?"

"Yeah." Nico knew Calypso could probably feel the same things he did right then, but she probably didn't know how to interpret them. He on the other hand was familiar enough with death to be able to recognize it instantly.

They walked up to the the gates, stopping beside them. Nico quickly cast a glance at the plate with a name on it. For some reason it was still attached and relatively clean. 

Ramirez-Arellano.

He frowned. He was pretty sure he knew that name, though he couldn't quite remember from where. He texted it to Hazel and then pocketed his phone before turning to his friend.

She was worried, he could see it. But determined too. She looked back at him with steady eyes.

"You ready?"

"Yeah. Let’s go."

They pushed past the gates and started for the house as Calypso snapped a handful of pictures while muttering to herself. That wasn't a bad idea. It was rarer than people wanted to believe, but sometimes spirits did show up on pictures. It was subtle though, and the images looked more like blurred colors than actual forms. Calypso seemed to like that, though, studying shots of haunted locations for clues. She had done it before for Hestia, and she probably intended to do it again.

When they reached the house, Nico turned toward her.

"Remember, you follow my lead, we don't split up, and if this gets bad, you do exactly as I say. Don't touch anything for now, and we'll see what we can do as we go. Got it ?"

His friend nodded curtly, obviously nervous, and Nico sighed. He didn't want to worry her more, but most spirits influenced the mind more than the environnement. Nothing good would come out of being stressed.

Nico took a deep breath and took Calypso's hand in his before pushing the door open.

Its hinges were creaky and clearly in need of oiling, but the sound wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. Nevertheless, after the clear view they'd had of the sky, the interior of the house felt like a cave.

They quietly took a few steps inside until Nico tugged on Calypso's hand to tell her to stop. Carefully, he took his time in surveying his surroundings. The foyer was the kind of entrance that he only saw in pompous movies or official-bullshit buildings, with a lot of space and set of giant stairs in the center of the back wall. The room was mostly empty, completely lacking in practical furniture. There were still statues and paintings, even though they were covered in dust. Actually, there was so much dust that Nico already found it a little harder to breathe.

Calypso seemed to be waiting for a sign from him, so he stopped just admiring– was he admiring? - the room to focus. He could feel the same thing he had felt outside, but stronger. Yet, there wasn't any actual hostility directed toward them. For now, they probably were unoticed. That was good, great even. They took a few more steps inside, and nothing changed. Nico let out the breath he had been holding without noticing it.

"Okay. I think we're safe for now." He let go of Calypso's hand to get out his flashlight but didn't turn it on. Not yet. "I'd prefer not to move anything though, so let's just look around."

"It looks about ready to collapse..." Calypso was looking up, and the damaged structure was indeed worrying. The house decorations seemed ancient and obviously out-of-date, but a part of the left wall was torn off, leaving cables and pipes exposed, with a lot of even spilling onto the floor. Some bigger cables were also hanging from the ceiling.

Nico tilted his head to the right, and Calypso followed him in the direction he'd gestured to. Quietly they made their way through the deserted house. After a little exploring, it became clear why the windows had seemed so dark from outside. They were barred with wooden boards. Calypso had her flashlight out too now, and Nico flicked his own on to look at a window more closely. The blockage had been done very meticulously; large boards without even the tiniest of cracks prevented any light from having a chance of getting through.

"That's... Weird." Calypso's voice was steady, but her eyes were wide. Nico nodded in agreement. 

"No shit."

After inspecting a few more windows, they started to walk again. Calypso looked at each door they passed with longing, but Nico didn't stop. He first wanted to find a door that was already open. No need to disturb anything yet. It took a few minutes, but as they rounded a corner, they arrived at an open door.

They looked quickly at each other before entering.

It was a study. It was probably a fairly big room, but all the fancy decorations made it seem smaller. There were shelves on all the walls, filled with papers and books and a few boxes. There was a desk and some chairs in the center. Despite the deformed flooring – probably due to moisture – it was in good condition, and Nico nodded to himself.

"Okay, let's look around. I guess we'll have to actually touch stuff here, but be careful." Calypso nodded with her phone in hand, already snapping pictures.

Nico went toward the desk. Like the rest of the house, it was ancient, grand and definitely out of fashion with way too many decorations carved into it. On the desk there were mostly papers, and it took a moment for Nico to realize that they were files. On people. There were photos with information like birth date and place, and jobs noted. Given the stacks of paper, there were a lot of files.

Nico cast a quick glance around before carefully taking one in hand. It was pretty heavy, and Nico flipped the pages fast. It wasn't just basic information, the pages described all kinds of observations like "went to the store three times today" or "got back home one hour late". Nico put it back. Maybe the owner of the house had been a detective or something ?

Nico then tried the drawers, but only one of them opened. It did so with a little cloud of dust, but its contents were definitely interesting. There were pencils, a clean notebook, post-its, and a photo.

Nico picked it up. The colors were faded, and one of the corners was a little moist and falling apart, but he could still clearly see the two people in it. It was a man and a woman, both of whom were wearing military uniforms. They looked a little worse for wear, the woman had a large bandage over one ear, but they were smiling and holding each other happily. 

"That's sweet." Calypso was looking over his shoulder, her hair brushing his cheek.

"I guess... Maybe they're the owners ?"

"Or were."

Nico shrugged and slipped the picture in his pocket. They stayed a few more minutes, going through the boxes and books, but they found nothing.

Eventually they went back the way they'd come, trying all the doors on the way. Most of them were locked, or blocked by the warped floor, but they got into two of them. One of the other rooms was another small study, which was almost entirely empty, and the the other was the kitchen. It was full of old tableware and rotten food, which gave off a terrible smell. So far so good.

Back at the entrance, Nico stopped and faced Calypso.

"Do you want to explore a bit more ?"

"Of course! We haven't found anything yet!"

But this was taking too long. Nico didn't say it, but the implication hung in the air was. Staying any longer could be dangerous, but Calypso seemed determined to go on. Suddenly she turned to the stairs, looking dazed.

"Do you feel something?"

"Do you need to ask?" She said without so much as looking at him.

"It's supposed to be your training, not mine."Calypso pouted at him, but still pointed upstairs.

Quietly, they made their way to the second floor, and indeed there was something there. Downstairs, the silence was just that, silence. Here it was heavy, like pressure on their eardrums and skulls. Calypso gripped the rail as Nico took a few steps forward. He put his hand on the wall, uncertain.

“What is that...?" Calypso looked sick, a thin layer on sweat plastering her hair to her forehead.

"I don't know... but whatever happened happened on this floor. And I think..." Nico swayed on his feet, unsure. He felt a lot of things, pulling him in every direction. And he felt something else, like a small ripple in a pond, a slight shift in the air. They would be noticed pretty soon, and then it would get dangerous quickly. They probably couldn’t explore everything, but they still had some time left. Nico only hesitated for a few more seconds before taking off to the left. 

Somehow, the right hall seemed more… hostile. 

He walked quickly, checking every now and then that Calypso was still behind him, but he could already feel his head pounding.

Something was wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

“It’s fear… so much fear...” Even Calypso’s voice seemed a little muffled here. After a few turns, she stopped in her track beside Nico, both of them speechless.

There were two doors in the hallway they were in, with rooms that probably faced the land at the back of the house. Like the rest of the mansion, they were old and dusty, but still in relatively good shape. Nevertheless, the doors were disturbing to say the least. Nico was a little more used to barricaded windows by then, but barricaded doors were another thing.

Nico got a little closer, shining his flashlight on the boards. Unlike the ones on the windows, these were messy, hastily nailed, some of them were even hanging off the side. Through them, Nico could see a bedroom. It made him sick.

_Crack_

“Nico?!”

Nico pulled the board loose, and gripped another one. He could only grunt to answer to his friend, with his flashlight in his mouth, but she seemed to get the message. With the two of them, they managed to make a hole big enough to get through.

Nico didn’t waste any time. He got into the room, breathing heavily. The dust was so thick there, he felt like he was choking. The room, however, was a fairly common one. It had a small bed, a desk, and a closet. There was also a bookshelf, but with nothing on it. Calypso moved to the bed and lifted the edge of the covers, deep in thoughts.

Nico made his way to the center of the room.

_I’m not…_

He turned to the closet.

_I’m not! I’m not!_

He pulled the doors open, looking down.

_I’m sorry._

For a moment, Nico was sure he saw a pair of dark eyes full of hurt staring back at him, but he blinked and they were gone. Instead, he was left looking at a few rumpled blankets and a picture.

Nico picked it up. There were two girls on this one, probably sisters given how much they looked alike. Dark hair, dark eyes. They were smiling though. But as Nico held the frame with the picture in it, a big crack suddenly appeared on the glass.

_Enemy._

Calypso almost dropped her phone at the voice. It cut through the silence that filled the harsh, cold house. 

“Nico? What do-“

“We have to get out.”

Nico pulled Calypso to him quickly as the lamp hanging from the ceiling shattered, and shards of glass came down around them.

_You are… The enemy._

“Now!”

Calypso was holding her head and breathing heavily. It was probably the first time she had ever felt an evil spirit direct its rage at her, and that was never pleasant. Nico gripped her hand hard and pulled her after him through the door and then into the hallway. He was running now, and winced with each step, feeling pressure reverberate throughout his skull.

_Get out… GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!_

“Nico!”

Calypso pulled on his hand harshly, just in time to avoid another lamp shattering before them. They were frozen for less than a second before running again, holding onto each other. At the staircase, Calypso finally seemed to get ahold of herself and jumped down the last steps, then ran to the door. Which was stuck.

“What?! Come on!” She pulled harder on the doorknob, but it was stuck in place. “You piece of-“

“Move!” Nico already had what he needed in his hand, his backpack hanging low on his shoulder, open. When he touched the door, he could feel slight resistance, but it was gone in an instant and he fell outside, closely followed by his friend.

Calypso recovered quickly enough, and she kicked the door closed while muttering a string of insults that no lady should ever say.

“Oh my god… What was that?” She pulled her hair out of her face, still a little red from all the running.

“From what I gather, probably the owner of the place.” Nico stood slowly, feeling a little dizzy. “We were lucky though. It didn’t like us, but as least it wanted us out. Otherwise, it would have been a lot more difficult to get through the door.” He brushed the dirt off his pants, feeling the sting in his palms from when he caught himself on the ground. He also carefully closed the little pack of salt he'd brought with him. When he turned around, Calypso was staring at the ground, her arms around herself. He slowly took her wrist, gently pulling her away from the mansion. “Come on, you need sugar. I brought some snacks.”

She just nodded, and they went to sit in her car to eat a little. Nico was already thinking about their next move. He wouldn't have had any problem with taking care of this himself, if it wasn't for that last room. There was something more than the house that was keeping the spirit here, and he needed to find what... or tell Hestia. But he could still wait a little before doing that.

But then he glanced at Calypso, and suddenly he wasn't so sure anymore. She was tough and determined, but strong emotions were exactly what spirits took advantage of. He'd have to be careful.

Calypso gazed at her lap, but she held her phone tightly in both hands. A plan was already coming together in her head.

***Hazel***

“Hazel? You okay?”

Hazel blinked a few times and realized that Piper had been talking for the last five minutes. She couldn't remember a word she'd said.

“Yes... I'm fine, sorry.”

“Are you sure?” Annabeth came closer, leaning in a little. “You look a little pale. Do you feel sick?”

“No no, not at all! Don't worry, really, I was just spacing out,” She tapped her fingers on her cup of coffee, willing her focus to come back.

“Be careful though. There's a cold going around.” Annabeth stirred her straw in her glass, her expression as calm as ever. “I think Silena caught it.”

“Yeah, I heard about that. I hope she gets better soon.” Piper leaned on her elbows. She was still a little depressed about her break up with Jason, but Hazel found her incredibly brave. If she'd broken up with Frank, she would've been a mess for a long time. Her friend was doing a really good job of holding herself together.

Still, Hazel gently rubbed her shoulder. She wasn't really close to Jason, so she couldn't guess his reasons, but she knew he had been possessed at the time of the break up, so maybe there was still hope?

Piper just smiled at her. Even if it felt forced, it was a start.

Hazel tried, really tried to keep up with the discussion that followed, but her thoughts were somewhere far away. At first she had been mad at Nico for deliberatly getting into a dangerous situation like that. Now, she was just worried sick. He didn't like to rely on people, and he always did his best to solve any situation alone, often without people noticing. If a problem could be dealt with quietly, then it was for the best, or so he said. But Hazel still wished he would rely on her more. She was his sister, and yet she always ended up being pushed away.

“Hey!” Hazel raised her eyes to see Annabeth staring back at her, a frown on her face. “What is it, really? You've been like that all day.”

“You look worried.”

“I am...” Shit. She shouldn't have said that. But it was really tiring sometimes, lying to her friends all the time. She shook her head slightly. “I'm just... a little worried about Nico.”

Piper looked confused, but Annabeth sat up a little straighter and her stormy eyes narrowed just a bit. Hazel was always a little wary of Annabeth when Nico was involved. Even she didn't know what kind of history they had with Percy, but she knew her brother was avoiding them, and she didn't want to upset him.

“Did something happen to him?” Annabeth's voice was carefully voided of emotions.

_Yes, he's putting himself in danger again, and I can't do anything for him and I'm so frustrated by it-_ “No, not really... He's just had a rough week is all.” That was believable.

“Hazel, he's being bullied, isn't he?” 

Well, that was unexpected. But then again, when you had a big dark secrets, more mudane matters seemed less obvious. With his bruises and the general behavior of most people towards him, the bullying thing wasn't hard to figure out. “That's what those bruises are, right? Since when?”

Hazel sighed, rubbing her arms, suddenly a bit cold. “I don't know, since middle school? It's starting to get really bad this year though.”

“You have to report it.” Piper nodded in agreement, but Hazel just huffed.

“You make it sound so easy.” Annabeth looked like she wanted to add something, but Hazel held her hand. “It's... it's a bit more complicated, okay? Can we stop now? Nico wouldn't appreciate us talking behind his back.”

That seemed to stop Annabeth, but she was deep in thought even as they left the coffee shop. She brightened up a little at the art shop, and while Annabeth was looking at the sketch books, Piper left her side to approach Hazel, who was choosing paints.

“Hazel? Can I ask you something?”

“Yes?”

“Did Jason hear about the bullying too?” At Hazel's surprised expression, Piper just shrugged. “Leo told me that he was weirdly insistant on talking to Nico these days, so I was wondering.”

“Maybe, I'm not sure.” She placed everything she needed in a basket and turned fully towards her friend. “Does it bother you...?”

“No! Of course not, I guess I'm just curious... You know how they say you only see what you want to see? I never really paid attention to bullying at our school after Drew calmed down last year, so I didn't think it went on... Tell me if there's anything I can do, okay?”

Hazel smiled at her, feeling a little better.

“Sure. Thanks, Piper!” Her friend beamed at her, but then Hazel felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and picked it up quickly, a million horrible scenarios running through her head. It was from Nico.

'Do you know anyone named Ramirez-Arellano?'

Hazel almost screamed in frustration. Of course the first text of the day wouldn't be anything to reassure her. But if he had questions, then her brother was fine. Still, that name felt familiar somehow.

“Actually... Do you know anyone with this name?" Hazel asked as she held up her phone. "I'm pretty sure I do, but I can't remember.”

Piper looked at the phone for a second before nodding.

“Yeah, Reyna.” She took in Hazel's confused expression and went on. “She was the student council president for the last two years, but since it's her senior year, she's decided to focus on athletics. Plus, Jason and her are friends.” She looked toward the phone again, but Hazel dropped her hand. “Why? Who's asking?”

“I'm just curious.” Hazel texted Nico back with a few disguised insults. She turned back to Piper and smiled at her pointed look. “I swear, I knew I'd heard of her name somewhere, I just couldn't remember.”

“If you say so...” Piper followed her slowly as she made her way to the cashier. But Hazel's mind was once again somewhere else. Without thinking, she texted Frank some dumb comment about the person in front of her who couldn't decide between two brushes, and she smiled when her phone chimed almost instantly. It would be fine. Even if Nico tried to push her away, she would just push right back until he'd let her help him. That was it. 

But first, she had to learn a bit more about Reyna Ramirez-Arellano.


	9. Chapter 9

***Jason***

“No, we didn’t see her. But I’m pretty sure Leo won’t give up.”

_“When has he ever?”_

Jason chuckled and let his head fall back against his desk chair. It was still pretty new and pretty comfortable too, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t get rid of the cramp in his neck. Piper’s voice was a little muffled by the phone, and it was nothing like the real deal, but it was still nice. Actually, it was their first not-awkward conversation since the break up, though that was probably because they weren’t face to face.

_“Is your dad still lurking downstairs?”_

“Yep. I don’t even know why he’s here, he was supposed to be gone until Thursday… And he looked really pissed.”

_“Well, how charming.”_ Jason smiled again at her deadpanned tone. He could just picture her unimpressed face, and it made his throat tighten a little. It was odd, to know someone so well, to love them so much, but to not be in love with them. Then again, maybe he had been at some point, but it was hard to say. Nevertheless, Piper was still the one person who knew him the most. Maybe even more than Reyna and Leo.

“What about your dad? Still working?”

_“Yeah, filming until next month.”_ He could hear Piper sigh loudly. _“I swear I’m not trying to be moody or depressing, but why is he shirtless on ALL the posters?! I mean, he’s not twenty anymore!”_

“Don’t tell him that though.”

_“I know, I know.”_ Jason heard some rustling on her side and then a loud noise.

“Pipes? You okay?”

_“Yeah, don’t worry! Totally fine! But I have to go!”_ Now that was definitely a crash in the background. _“Like, right now!”_

The line cut off before Jason could add anything, and he stared at his phone with an amused smile. 

A moment later, he found himself left with the empty quietness of his room. Jason tried to focus on his homework, he really did, but the silence was unnerving. It usually didn’t bother him that much, he actually enjoyed some quiet time, but it was like his dad’s fool mood was contaminating the whole house, dripping through the walls, the very air.

That was kind of overdramatic, but that’s how it felt.

His father was charismatic, to say the least. When he talked, his voice was always strong and steady. He was a tall, intimidating figure, who inspired respect and obedience. Well, most of the time, when in the public eye and keeping calm. In his house, he let his anger burst and shouted his frustration. His father had a very short temper, he was just skilled at hiding it most of the time.

In front of Jason though, he rarely even tried to keep up the act these days.

That was partly why Thalia had left, in addition to her issues with Hera. Those might not have even been the only reasons.

_This whole family is a poison._

Jason sighed as his sister’s words rang in his head. It was a little late, but he definitely needed some food to function.

He opened his bedroom door and listened for a bit, but the hallway was as quiet as his bedroom. He waited a few seconds, slipped his phone in his pocket and then made his way downstairs. The living room was empty, and so was the kitchen. His father was probably in his study. So far, so good.

Jason went to the kitchen and looked around for a while before finding leftovers from dinner. It was better than a sandwich, and since his cooking skills were limited to things that could be heated in a microwave, he couldn’t really complain. Jason put his one cooking skill to use, and three minutes later he was on his way back to his room with warm food.

He managed to get a lot of work done, but by late afternoon, he was fidgety and restless. 

He needed a run.

But of course that thought brought back some memories that he had been trying to avoid. Specifically memories, about a chance meeting with a younger, moody boy.

The police still had no idea what had happened to the woman they found in the woods, but apparently they had discovered her identity. She lived alone, as her father was long dead and her mother had passed away a few months ago. No one was even there to report her as missing at first. 

And the police still had no idea who found the body and told them about it.

Jason decided to go for a run anyway and let his thoughts swirl in his head as he changed his clothes. He knew that it was Nico. It just made sense. He always took the same path, and that was the first he had seen him. Not to mention, according to Nico, his house was far from this side of town since he needed to take the bus to come back. There was a reason Nico was there that day. 

But every time Jason thought about Nico’s odd behavior, he also thought about his tired eyes and his bruises and suddenly he didn’t feel like questioning him anymore. He wanted to help him, somehow.

Jason walked down the stairs and just as he reached the entrance, he finally heard his father. Immediately he regretted not leaving sooner.

“GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!”

Jason took his shoes from the cupboard and hesitated. Maybe he should just put them on outside? But then he heard a door open and turned around.

He was pretty sure he had never seen that woman before, but she seemed familiar. With her warm brown eyes and soft features, she was the exact opposite of Zeus, who was fuming beside her. Their clothes were completely opposite too, with her wearing black jogging leggings and an oversized white shirt, and his father had on his usual business suit. His father seemed pretty mad already, so Jason went to sit on the stairs, not eager to get roped into the discussion. If that yelling session could even be called a discussion.

“Didn’t I say that I don’t want to see you? Didn’t I?! And you dare come here and question me like you have any right-“

“Yes yes, I believe you said all of that an hour ago.” The woman took a leather jacket – definitely hers, Hera would never wear that – from the hanger and slipped it on. She never glanced at Jason or let her calm smile slip as she walked over to the door and opened it. “Well then, good day Zeus.”

“Don’t come back.” Zeus had returned to his controlled self, all cold anger and death glares. The woman just shook her head slowly, like she was humoring a child’s tantrum and left quietly. Zeus took a few seconds to calm down a little more before turning to his son. “What are you doing?”

“Just going for a run. But-“

“Don’t be late.” And he was gone, making sure that each step he took resonated in the hallway before the door of the study closed again. 

Jason stayed frozen on the stairs for a few minutes before he felt ready to go. It was surprising to see his father lose control like that in front of a stranger. Then again, maybe she wasn’t a stranger… After all, she had called him by his name and spoken to him as if he was an acquaintance... 

When he got out of the house, he shivered slightly in the cold air before a bright flash of red caught his attention. The woman from before was leaning on a pole in front of the house with her hands in her pockets and her head tipped back, eyes closed. Jason was usually the first– maybe the second when Thalia was around– to say that staying out of his father’s business was always the best course of action. But he was also curious, and maybe a little annoyed. He didn’t like not knowing what was going on in his own house, and these days had left him with so many unanswered questions that he couldn’t resist this opportunity to maybe learn something.

So Jason walked over to her.

Her eyes opened and she looked at him as soon as she heard his footsteps. A smile reappeared on her face. She had really beautiful eyes, a shade of warm brown that caught light easily, and her face was ageless, open. Jason thought that was how a mother should be, and the thought caught him off guard. He apparently stood wordlessly before the woman for a little too long.

“Jason Grace, right?” She straightened up, to face him better and extended a hand. “My name is Hestia. Nice to meet you.”

Fortunately for Jason, he was used to courtesies and pretenses, so he was able to shake her hand and utter a basic greeting without thinking.

“Nice to meet you, Hestia.” He probably held her hand to long. Jason let go and shifted his feet, uncertain. “Um, I’m sorry, but…”

“I’m sorry you had to see that.” Jason’s head snapped up, but Hestia was looking at his house with a frown. “I hoped that a few years to cool down would be enough, but obviously, Zeus’ wrath is still legendary.” Her voice was more amused than anything, and Jason was definitely lost.

“How do you know my father?” 

Hestia turned toward him, her frown still in place, but before long her face cleared and she smiled again.

“You don’t know?” Jason just shook his head. “We’re actually related. Not quite directly though. I’m your father’s cousin.” His surprise must’ve shown because Hestia laughed a little. “I know, we aren’t really alike.”

“More like complete opposites.” Jason muttered that without meaning to, but given Hestia’s smirk, she had heard it. Jason blushed, and looked to the side. “Um, sorry about him. You must have caught him on a bad day.”

“Don’t worry child, everyday Zeus meets me is a bad day for him.” She watched him for a second, before turning on her heels. “Would you like to walk with me a little? There’s actually something I’d like to discuss with you.”

“Sure.” Jason followed her, a little surprised by her fast pace. He took that chance to look at her a bit more, trying to find something to relate her to him and his father, but there was really nothing o be found. Even her skin tone was darker than theirs, and her clothes came with leather cords, bracelets, and earrings, the kind that Hera despised. She called them cheap, and of course nothing cheap could suit Hera. All in all, Hestia was all warm colors and soft features, and Jason couldn’t see her related to his father in any way. Relatives like her would’ve made interesting family reunions. 

“So Jason, I actually came today to see your father, but maybe you could answer my questions. It’s about Beryl.” She paused for a second and glanced at him. “Your mother.”

“Ah.” Jason probably should’ve felt sad. Or bitter maybe, but his mother didn’t stir a lot of feelings inside him. “My father doesn’t like to talk about her.”

“That’s an understatement, I fear.” Hestia waved her hand a little. “I didn’t intend to dig up any bad memories. I knew Beryl, albeit only a little.” She glanced at him again, and her voice was cautious this time. “Do you know what happened to her?”

“I know she and my father were only married for a short time, and that she died when I was seven.” And he only knew that because he had heard Thalia and his father shout for what had seemed like hours about it. His father never talked about his first wife. 

“I’m sorry, child. It really wasn’t my intention to make you sad.” Jason wanted to deny that, but he couldn’t find his voice in the face of Hestia’s sad smile. She rubbed her neck and sighed. “That’s why I hoped Zeus might talk to me, but well, I guess he really does hate me.” Her smile turned a bit more genuine then. “Some things never change. But now that we’re here, do you know where your mother’s grave is? Or if your family kept some of her things?”

“She was cremated.” And I have no idea where her ashes are. Not like I’d want to know anyway, I didn’t even know her. “And I think my father might’ve kept some things, but I’m not sure.” Jason tilted his head with a frown. “Why do you want to know?”

“As I said before, I knew Beryl. Even if we weren’t friends, I was…upset that I never got to know any of this from your father. As for her personal effects, he might be holding onto something that isn’t good for him, and that worries me.” Hestia stopped walking, looking down, obviously thinking, and Jason noticed that they were near the bus stop. Finally she straightened up and put a warm hand on his shoulder, making him shiver a little after the cold. “I’m sorry you had to do this, but thank you for talking to me. Take care of yourself, Jason.” She started to walk away, before turning a little, smiling. “And be nice to Nico, please. That child is always has troubles.”

Jason waved at her, a like stunned by this conversation. He hadn’t talked about his mother for a really long time, talking about her now made his head feel a little lighter. So it wasn’t until he started running in the opposite direction that he finally caught on to Hera’s last words.

_Wait… Nico?_

***Nico***

Nico came to school feeling a bit anxious. He wondered if Jason was still okay, and he also had to find out more about Reyna. He had already done some basic research on the house during the weekend, but his search had been disappointing. Hazel had insisted he focus on something else, like school work.

The Ramirez-Arellanos had lived in this house for generations, but about ten years earlier they’d left. Nico had only found records that said that the children had been taken in by their aunt, and that the house wasn’t “fit for living” anymore. He didn’t want to dig into his father’s papers, so he had to wait until he was back before doing that. Until then, he had to investigate himself. And if he didn’t have facts, well, he could still investigate spirits.

First off, he had to find Reyna.

Fortunately, Hazel told him that she was on the track team, so all he had to do was wait in the bleachers for their training after class. Which was a pain, but he couldn’t help it, if he had to.

Nico was focused during the morning classes, fairly pleased that he had managed to get all of his work done in time, but he saw Bryce smirk at him and just knew it wouldn’t bode well for him. He didn’t know where to hide during lunch, and he knew that he wouldn’t leave him alone even if he was in the cafeteria and surrounded by people. 

Thankfully his problems were solved as soon as he exited class.

“Nico!” 

Well, half solved anyway. Jason was walking towards him with his usual smile and jock attire and was totally oblivious to the weird looks everyone was giving him. “Great, I thought you were already gone.” He raised the plastic bag in his hand. “Wanna have lunch together?”

Nico stared at the bag for a long time while Jason rubbed neck, avoiding his eyes. Finally, the boy raised his eyes.

“Why?”

“…Because I thought it would be nice…?” Nico raised an eyebrow at the question, and Jason shook his head, his expression serious. “Not a question, it would be nice.” He smiled then. “Please?”

“I can’t decide if you’re smart or stupid or just weird,” Nico said in a monotone voice, before giving a shrug. “But sure, why not?” He inspected Jason’s face a little more and could almost see a flicker of a shadow, a bit of blurred color in his eyes.

It wasn’t bad, per se. Not yet.

“I know I’ve said it before, but telling a straight-A student that he’s stupid might be a bit stupid in and of itself, you know.” Jason took off, looking back at Nico frequently to make sure he was still walking beside him. “Do you need to buy lunch or…?”

“If you keep rubbing that in my face, I will add ‘pretentious’ to the list. And no, I have what I need.” He noted that Jason wasn’t going towards the cafeteria, but instead towards the school’s main entrance, and he was thankful for that. He was stuck in crowds enough as it was, and he liked having quiet lunches.

They went to sit out on stairs outside and managed to find an unoccupied corner. There were still teenagers everywhere, but it was bearable. Nico could see some people looking their way as they passed, but no one actually stopped to bother them. He took his sandwich from his bag, and quietly bit down on it. He could sense Jason becoming more and more uncomfortable, but he had honestly no idea what they could talk about. It had been so much easier in the book shop, on familiar ground. School made him quiet, even more than usual.

“So…” Jason nibbled on his food uncertainly, and Nico couldn’t help but laugh a little, earning a startled look from him.

“Sorry, sorry, I just don’t get why you’re subjecting yourself to this. You don’t need to try so hard Jason, I don’t need your pity or anything.”

“It’s not pity! God, you’re so difficult.” Jason sat up a little straighter, looking Nico in the eye. “I meant it, I want to be your friend.” He kept looking at him, and Nico definitely couldn’t stand that for too long, so he averted his eyes to the road.

“If you say so…” He trailed off for a second. “You really are stupid.”

“I’m really offended now.” Jason was clearly more relaxed though, and his smile discredited his words. “Are you working at that book shop today?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Just wondering.” That smirk…

“Please, if you come, at least pretend to be interested in buying something.” Nico scowled at Jason’s innocent puppy eyes. “You’re really irritating.”

“And you just keep insulting me!” Jason leaned forward a little. “So, how long have you been working there…?”

Nico couldn’t help but relax after a while. He really tried to keep his answers short and to the point, but Jason was so earnest and he seemed so happy with just a word that it was difficult. So Nico told him that he hung out there long before he started working at the book shop, that he could change his work schedule if he needed and he did so more often than not thanks to his boss. He told him that Calypso hung out there a lot and pretended to bug him, even though she really loved the place. At some point though, he fell silent, feeling like he couldn’t get another word out of his throat. Like something was tightening around his ribcage.

“Nico?” Jason’s hand reached forward but then stopped between them. He remembered that as well.

“That’s enough.” Nico stood up and quickly went back in the school.

“Wai-“ Jason scrambled to gather his things and set off after him. “Nico! Hey!” Damn jocks. Of course, he caught up within a moment. Nico really resented his short height right then. And his short legs. “Sorry, Nico.”

“Why are you apologizing?” Nico turned around, forcing Jason to stop abruptly. And for God’s sake, he still had that stupid kicked puppy look on his face. How could he manage to look like that when he was a head taller? “You did nothing wrong. Or did you?”

“No! I just…” Jason waved his hand aimlessly, looking off to the side. “I’m still sorry.”

“Oh for fuck- You’re so annoying.” Nico steeled himself and reached out to him, catching his wrist. “Stop looking so depressed. You did nothing wrong, I’m just weird.”

Jason looked at his wrist with wide eyes, and Nico was feeling really awkward. He wasn’t used to human contact at all, except for family and close friends. Did he do something wrong? Was Jason’s skin always this hot, or was his hand just cold? Nico looked to the floor, suddenly finding it incredibly interesting.

“Just a little.” He could hear the smile in Jason’s voice, and that was enough to rile him up again. 

“Don’t push your luck, Grace.” Nico let go of his wrist, walking faster towards his next class. Technically, he still had time, but just waiting around seemed like a terrible idea.

“Later, Nico!” Nico turned his head to see Jason smile at him before walking away. And he definitely didn’t stare at his back for a few more seconds. A few more long seconds.

Not at all.

Fortunately, he had none of Octavian’s lackeys in his afternoon’s classes, and he was able to just lose himself in the teacher’s boring voice. As soon as the bell rang, he ran quickly out to the field. There were always some people who hung out in the bleachers, and he wanted to find a quiet corner for himself.

It wasn’t that hard actually. There were indeed some people there, but he went to the far end and leaned on the rack, drowning out the noise a little. He put his headphones on and waited.

It wasn’t long before the team went out onto the tracks, stretching and chatting. Nico leaned forward. He didn’t have a picture of Reyna or know what her actual age that was, but that wasn’t necessary. He had the picture he found in the house, and those dark eyes were practically burned onto his mind. Indeed, that turned out to be enough.

She spoke with a clear voice that dripped with authority even from far away. She stood out physically too. Her hair was tied in a high braid, and her eyes were unwaveringly set on her teammates. But that wasn’t what retained Nico’s attention.

He had hoped to see nothing. But like Jason earlier, there was… a blur. Something like a trick of the light, around her. The presence of something else. It was really subtle, almost unnoticeable, but it was there, and that was worrying in itself. The spirit was already well anchored in the house, so how could it have influence over a person so far away? Especially a person who seemed to have such a solid mind. But it was there, and before Nico could think better of it, he stared at the form. Stared and stared, until he felt the attention returned ever so slightly.

“Hi there.” He muttered.

He had no idea how to take care of Jason’s problem, but he was definitely going to fix this one.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really, really sorry this chapter took so long to come out ! I had a bit of a writing block, and actually I'm still not entirely satisfied, but at least now it's done and I can focus on the rest ^^ So I hope you still enjoy it, and don't worry, updates should be faster now ~
> 
> I did draw some stuff though, portraits of the characters and other stuff I'll post soon on my blog, so if you're interested, please come by ~

***Nico***

Nico cracked open the door of his house, straining his ears until he was sure he was alone. He entered his house and sighed deeply. Not a moment later, his phone vibrated, and he pulled it out to find Hazel 's name on the screen along with a text.

_Be careful. Call me if you need help._

He felt a little bad about skipping work and asking her cover for him, but he needed to get back to the haunted house. Alone. He would share everything he learned with Calypso later, but she would probably be pissed nonetheless.

Nico started towards the stairs, only to be stopped by an overexcited Ms.O'Leary, who latched onto him and nipped at his hands and jacket.

"Hey girl. Sorry, I can't take you with me today..." Was she pouting? Probably. She was lifting her big round eyes to stare at him, whining softly. "That won't work and you know it." She still insisted on trying for a few more seconds before sneezing and going back to roaming the house. Nico smiled a little as he walked up the stairs and into his room.

He quickly discarded his school bag and gathered what he needed. He hesitated a second, but in the end decided to take his bike. Even if he couldn't ride it after, he knew for a fact the house was deserted and practically repelled people. If it came to it, he could leave it there.

The trip to the house was a little long, and he kept feeling vibrations from his phone in his jacket pocket. Probably Calypso. Probably mad because he ditched her and she wanted to know why. Definitely didn't want to answer that yet.

The house was just as creepy as he remembered. What a fucking relief.

Nico parked his bike inside the property this time and quickly made his way to the door. He took the time to turn off his phone and stuff it in his backpack with his headphones before entering the house.

Cold.

It always was though. The denseness of the air was terrible, but at least he was prepared for it this time. His eyes slid over the ruined walls and ceiling and stopped at the top of the stairs. But he didn't need to get up there just yet. Instead, he set off for the room that he had explored with Calypso on this floor.

It was a little different from last time. Without Calypso here, it was quieter. Nico didn't even feel a tiny ripple of attention directed at him. He could move freely, as if he belonged there too. That thought made him shiver, but he still walked calmly towards one of the studies and opened the door. 

Just like everywhere in the house, there was stuff everywhere. Statues, carpets, paintings, all useless decorations. Well, there were also weapons on the walls sometimes, like crossed swords and things, but those seemed to themed common upstairs, and there weren't really any in this room.

Nico took some time to push the remains of the chairs against the walls, wincing a little at the screeching noise they made. He then rolled the carpet to the side to reveal a very old and worn looking floor. Nico eyed it warily and chose a spot on the ground that looked at least somewhat intact to deposit his bag. Then he got to work.

Laying a notebook beside him, he grabbed one of the pieces of chalk that he had taken with him and began drawing a circle. It wasn't a complicated design, and he was used to drawing it so it didn't take that much time, but Nico still felt frustrated. Hazel could get those down in no time at all. Damn her artistic skills. 

After putting on the finishing touches, Nico stepped back to survey his work. So far so good. He took a bowl and a bottle of water from his bag and carefully stepped in the circle, making sure not to smudge the chalk. Once inside, he sat in the middle with his legs crossed. He put the bowl in front of him and filled it the water, discarding the bottle once it was empty.

Nico paused for a moment, looking around him.

In theory, what he was doing was a terrible idea. Even in safe places, scrying was dangerous because letting your mind wander meant that it could easily be snatched away and a body left unguarded could be possessed by absolutely anything. Even with a circle to provide protection, Nico couldn't compltely cut himself off, because he would need a way out once he started scrying. In other words, he would have to leave his body relatively vulnerable to search the house for more useful clues.

However, while scrying was definitely dangerous, it was a little different for Nico. Still not really safe, but different. Other people who attempted it often lost themselves, unable to focus on their goal, and lost precious time simply trying to get back on track. Nico wouldn't have this problem.

He inhaled quietly, and let his head fall forwad, bending a little until he stared at his reflection in the water. It was, as always, surpisingly easy to slip away from his body. It was a little cold though. Just a little.

Nico found himself in a hallway of the house. Or a room. Or outside. He wasn't really sure, but it didn't really matter. What did matter was the girl that was there. She was standing before a wall covered by ancient weapons and shields with her head bent. Nico could feel grief and sadness and a strange happiness from her, her mixed feelings threading through his mind as if they were his. The girl – Reyna, his memories suplied with a delay – wrapped her arms around herself, her mouth set in a thin line, her brows furrowed.

A woman came up from behind her and gently gripped her shoulders, rubbing them and talking softly. Nico couldn't hear well, but it didn't matter. That woman was important. That was what he needed to know. She was caring in that moment, but he knew she was strong. Determined. The kind of woman that would crush anyone threatening her or her loved ones. She turned to Nico and he saw a wolf.

Then a window. Then a hallway. Then Reyna and the woman again. Then the field outside. Then Reyna again. She was trapped here, no matter what she did.

He had had seen enough of this.

Nico drifted away, trying to get ahold of the other presences he felt there. For some reason, he kept going back to a certain place. The study full of weapons. He had to look there. There was something, something...

_I shouldn't have done that.... It was wrong. I was wrong. I'm wrong!_

"Thank you for telling me. I'll deal with it."

Nico was suddenly swept away from the room, from the house, from the memories. He was in a different place, not exactly warm but familiar. Reyna was here. She was looking at her phone, obviously deep in thought. Nico looked around him, surprised. It was rare that he was able to stay this clear headed while scrying. He could see the room clearly, a small living room with a couch, a TV and a coffee table. There was also a kitchen that was totally open and well equipped.

Nico looked down as he heard a low rumbling noise. Two dogs were growling at him, but luckily Reyna only let that go on for a few seconds before getting up from the couch.

"Cut it out, both of you!" One of them stopped, though he still stared in Nico's general location warily. The other growled louder. "Aurum, enough!" Relunctantly, the sand colored dog stopped.

Reyna sighed, letting herself fall backward on the couch. Nico reached out, not sure of what he meant to do, but then something wrapped around him.

_You little rat!_

"!" 

Nico raised his head quickly, feeling his neck protest against the sudden motion. He was in the study, on the floor. He blinked a few times, his eyes all dry and hurting, and it took him a little time before he saw anything other than blurred colors. Then, he saw a man.

Nico gazed owlishly at the man in front of him, who stared back. It was the man from the picture. His shirt was stained with some kind of black liquid that dripped all the way down to his feet and onto the floor. His head was tilted to the side in a way that was clearly unnatural. And his eyes were the worst. They were large, sunken, flooded with the same black liquid. The man's appearance was so sudden, Nico almost didn't hear the weird gurgling sound that had been rising in the room.

Nico swallowed, slowly extending his legs, careful not to disturb the circle.

_I have to get out..._

The man opened his mouth, and more black liquid flowed out, covering the floor, the chairs, the carpet, and the chalk. There was no time.

Nico snatched his backpack and took off in the hallway, running to the front door. But once there, he hesitated. He had to see that room. But as his hand rested on the handle and he was considering his options, he felt a shiver creep down his back. There was a cold chill that struck the nape of neck, and something was making a weird gurgling sound right behind him.

Nico pushed the door and threw himself out, panting. When he turned around, he didn't see anything there and the entrance was the same as he remebered. He rubbed the back of his neck nerviously, his breathing and heart rate returning to normal.

"Great... Just great."

Nico paced in front of the house, too shaky to ride back home so soon.

Now he was sure the ghost was supposed to be in the house. That room with Reyna and the woman was important for sure. It was there, it was the real anchor here, and that was what was keeping the spirit from moving on. But for some reason, Nico had been able to detach himself from it and go all the way to Reyna, and that wasn't normal.

And then there was the spirit's appearance... Usually, ghosts couldn't hold their human appearances for a very long time, especially when they go berserk like that one did. He hadn't even been able to speak coherently, and he must've been in this house for at least a decade by now. And yet, he still looked like a person.

Nico stopped walking and rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. While he had learned most of what he needed, he was already starting to regret the drastic measures. His head felt like it was split in two already.

He raised his eyes to the already darkened sky. How long had he been out?

" Hello, Nico."

Nico let his gaze drop.

"Hi Hestia."

"Need a ride?" She smiled a little.

"My bike is here."

"I'll bring it back." She said that, but she waited for him to walk before starting towards the car parked just in front of the gates. Nico rubbed his arms, trying to get some warmth back. Not that he was warm usually.

As soon as he got in the car, he sighed happily. There, it was warm. Nico slowly sank into his seat while Hestia walked to the driver side. When she got there, she retrieved a thermos from the back and handed it to him.

Nico's eyes opened wide and he took it eagerly, only to realize it wasn't coffee but hot chocolate. He glared at Hestia, who only laughed.

"This is no hour for coffee, child. You need to sleep."

"Coffee doesn't have hours..." Nico muttered under his breath, but he still drank the chocolate, feeling better with each passing second. There was still a cold spot on his neck though.

Hestia, as if sensing his discomfort, gently put her hand on the nape of his neck, rubbing gently. Nico closed his eyes.

"Aren't you mad?" 

"About what?"

"About us doing things behind your back."

"Stupid things, I might add." But there was no heat in her voice, and Hestia simply continued to gently massage his neck. "I trust your judgement, Nico. I know that if something too big came up, you'd talk to me." She paused a bit, thinking over her words. "I know that Calypso is upset that I won't let her handle spirits, but that's part of the reason why I do it. She has been cut off from her gift for a long time, and that makes her reckless and too sensitive. But I suppose I can't put this off forever..." She removed her hand and started the car, slowly pulling away from the house. "You're different. You're used to it in a way she isn't, and you can recognize a situation you can't handle."

Nico stayed silent, feeling guilty nonetheless. It felt like praise, but he didn't deserve any. He wasn't always so level headed. He made mistakes too. But he didn't feel like engaging that kind of argument with Hestia, so he simply leaned his head on the car window. Hestia seemed to follow his trail of thought and dropped the subject, to only to pick up another.

"Did anything feel off about that ghost?" 

Nico sat up straighter.

"Yes... He was strangely strong, and tied to different things. Places and people." Nico rubbed at his forehead again. "But the spirit itself doesn't seem strong, it's just... the reactions weren't what I expected."

Hestia nodded, and her grip on the wheel tightened. "There's something happening." Her tone was absolute, and Nico didn't doubt her for a second. "I'm not sure what yet, but I keep getting interferences in my readings and my dreams. So I want you to be careful when you take care of that ghost, okay? And let me know if you find anything else." Once again he nodded, and they lapsed into a comfortable silence.

Even though he did his best to stay awake, the warmth of the car and the low hum of the enginhere're much too soothing. Slowly, Nico was lured into a quiet sleep.

***Jason***

Jason tried not to seem too eager as he and Leo made their way to the book shop. Leo obviously took this as some kind of challenge, and Jason hadn't argued with him. At all. Maybe he should have. But then he remembered his lunch with Nico, when he had slowly began to talk more animatedly, gesturing and even smiling when he talked about his job and his boss.

And then he had left on a whim. God, that boy was difficult. Jason felt like for each step he took forward, he took two steps back. And he didn't understand why. Maybe that was the worst part. He wanted to get to know Nico genuinely because he was nice and witty and surpisingly fun to be around, but Nico kept him at arm's length. 

That was also why he wanted to talk to him at the book shop. Nico was comfortable there, and more open. And if Jason got to see him with his co worker or his boss, that would be even better.

At some point Jason must have zoned out because he was jerked back to the present when Leo snapped his fingers right in front of his face.

"Hey Captain! You with me?" Leo huffed at his surpised look. "Man, you have it bad."

"What?"

"Nothing. Hey, you doing anything for Halloween? Piper was invited to Silena's party and asked us to come too." Leo smiled at that. "Honestly, it's hard to believe Silena and Drew are related at all, right? But it would be fun to mess with her." Leo wiggled his eyebrows mischiviously and Jason barked a laugh at his face.

"Honestly, stop that Leo, you'll hurt your face!" He took a breath, and thought a little. "The team wanted to do something, but... I think I'll go with you guys. Even if I have to dodge Drew." Jason still felt conflicted about his team after what Dakota had told him. He didn't think he could enjoy a party with them, not without spoiling the party for everyone with his foul mood, and he didn't want that either.

Leo stared at him for a while with an unusually serious look on his face.

"Still thinking about quitting?"

"Huh?" Jason had forgotten about that, actually. He had had other matters on his mind. "Well, there's that too... But I heard that some guys on the team were bullying Nico."

"Well, it's not that surprising." At Jason's furious look, Leo held up his hands. «  Hey, cool it with the scary look! I'm just saying what I've always been saying. Half of your team is made of assholes. The rest are okay." He thought for a second. "Dakota's fun."

"I don't even know why I ever argued with you. That's obviously true..." They waited for the cars to stop, the book shop just across the street. "I'd still feel bad for the other half of the team if I quit though."

"Well, you've been putting up with their bullshit for years, I'd say it's fair." Leo strode ahead, huffing, and Jason couldn't help but smile at that.

"You just want me to quit so that I'll have more free time."

"Damn right I want that! You need to live outside of school, Captain! And don't talk back, your house is basically an extension of school."

Jason felt his breath hitch as they arrived at the shop. He was nervious. Why was he nervious? But what if he was actually bothering Nico? Like, really bothering him ? He was the one who kept pushing, but he was pretty sure Nico would shot him down in a second if he really annoyed him. But still...

But of course, Leo unceremoniously opened the door wide, his loud voice accompanying his loud entrance.

"Let's get this- Hazel?" 

Jason poked his head from out behind Leo, glancing at the counter. Where Nico had been last time, there was now Hazel, sitting there with a sketchbook and a mug of something steaming. She looked at Leo with raised eyebrows, and seemed even more surprised to see Jason too.

"What the- Seriously?!"

Jason turned upon hearing an angry feminine voice. Just beside the door – the one that Leo had slammed into the wall – there was a girl glaring at the books on the floor. A lot of books, which had fallen from a display shelf. She was pretty, beautiful even, with long caramel hair, light brown eyes, and a little nose that was currently scrunched in... Disgust? Contempt? Whatever that was, it was directed at Leo, and Jason groaned internally.

"You know that saying that the customer's always right? Well, that's bullshit. Your mess, you clean." She pointed to the books at her feet, and it took Leo a second to recover from whatever shock he had just experienced before he scoffed and crossed his arms.

"Well _excuse me_ , sweetheart, it was an accident! Ever try asking nicely instead of yelling ? And who thought it was a good idea to put that behind a door?!" Leo threw his arms up and the girl stomped over to him, and then it was clear she was at least a few centimeters taller.

"People who thought their customers would have the good sense to not SLAM THE DOOR!" 

Jason let his head drop, feeling embarassed on Leo's behalf. Based on the description he had given to him, this was probably to girl he had seen before. The super pretty one that he wanted to woo.

What a good start.

Jason noticed then Hazel waving at him and he went over to the counter with a wince.

"I'm sorry, really, he's just..." What? No adjective could really describe Leo, except... Leo.

But Hazel just shrugged with a smile. "Yeah, don't worry, I know Leo too, you know. And Calypso was pissed off before you came, she was just waiting for an opportunity to get it out." She glanced over at the mess of an argument before her. "I kind of hoped she would calm down a little earlier."

Jason nodded sheepishely and looked around for a sign of Nico. He had told him that he was working today, but he was nowhere to be seen. Hazel looked at him curiously.

"Looking for something?"

"Um..." It dawned on him that this was Nico's sister. And that they weren't exactly good friends or anything. Hazel and him had never really talked much or really bonded... He thought about Nico's bruises and he wondered if she knew who was responsible for them. Maybe she thought it was him, that he was like his team. He wiped the sweat on his palms off on his jeans nerviously.

Hazel took pity on him and gestured to the stool next to the counter on her side. After a pause, Jason sat down.

"I just thought Nico would be here today." Hazel raised an eyebrow, and immediatly Jason began panicking. "I mean, I just wanted to talk to him a little! That's all!" He tucked his hands in his lap. "I, I didn't mean to disturb the shop or anything..."

Hazel let out a laugh, and Jason raised his head sharply at the sound.

"Sorry, sorry, it's just... I never pictured you as the panicking type." She lowered her sketchbook, with a few portrait of the other girl – Calypso – from different angles. "Can I ask you something?" He nodded, and she leaned forward a little. "Nico told me that you went out of your way to talk to him. Can I ask why? I know he's a little..." She looked for the right word, conflicted, before settling for, "difficult."

Jason huffed a breath at that. "Not just a little... " Hazel raised an eyebrow at that, and he remembered why he had been panicking in the first place. "I just want to. Talk to him, I mean. He's nice." That was way too generic, but he couldn't find any better words. "Stubborn and difficult as hell, but nice." He muttered the last piece, but Hazel had obviously heard, judging the way she laughed.

"Yeah, he is." She leaned her chin on her hand, her smile dropping a little. "Look, I'm not sure why you suddenly decided to notice his existence," Jason winced at that, feeling the heat in her words almost physically, "but I'd appreciate it if you didn't give up on him. I... I feel better knowing there's someone who genuinely wants to look out for him at school. He's been alone for too long." She then pinned him with a harsh glare. "But if you ever hurt him, I'll make you regret it."

Jason held her gaze, sitting a little straighter. "I won't. I swear." For some reason, Hazel looked almost sad for a second, but then she relaxed again, picking up the thermos behind the counter.

"Since you're not here to buy anything..." She struggled a second with tha cap. "Coffee? We can make sure those two don't kill each other and I can tell you embarassing stories about Nico."

Jason looked at her smirk, and in this moment he could see the resemblance between her and Nico. He smiled at her, taking the thermos. "So, I heard cooking is his thing?"

"Weeeell, he does experiment a lot. Our kitchen still has some scars from some earlier.... incidents..." Hazel took hold of her mug and Jason leaned on the counter, feeling better already, sipping on his hot coffee. And at that moment, a book flew right at his head, and Calypso's voice rang through the whole shop.

"YOU DID NOT-"

"Oh boy," Jason groaned again and laid his head on the counter as Hazel stiffled a laugh behind her hand.

***Reyna***

Reyna gently craddled Aurum's head, rubbing under his chin, murmuring to him. For some reason, he had started to act up some time during the evening and wouldn't calm down no matter what she did. He kept pacing circles around her living room, whining from time to time, and quite frankly, it was worrying. At least her other dog had calmed down.

Finally Arurum seemed to relax a little, stopping his high pitched sound, and it was a big relief. Reyna felt that her head had been pounding since some time ago. Tired, she went to lay down on her couch with Argentum curling at her side. She petted his head absentmindedly and took out her phone to re-read the email from Lupa.

It wasn't long, but could've been shorter. 

"Squatters uh?" Reyna's old house was big and mostly intact, so there had been squatters in the past. Most of them had actually ended up injured due to the state of the floor. But this time, Lupa had seen a car there, so it wasn't some homeless person looking for a roof. Even if Reyna didn't live there anymore, it was technically still her house.

She sighed – again – and let her arm cover her eyes.

"Gotta take care of that too..."


	11. Chapter 11

***Nico***

Nico wanted to throw his phone at a wall. Or into the road, in front of a car's wheels. He had to remind himself several times that it was actually useful to him – somewhat– and that it wasn't the one at fault here. His self control must've slipped because Jason picked up on his frustration as soon as he saw him.

"Hey Nico, Uh... Are you okay?" Nico couldn't help a small rush relief that seemed to fill his chest when he saw Jason waiting for him by his locker. School still sucked, it was still full of self centered teens who loudly complained that nobody paid attention to them, not to mention a delightful abundance of bullies including one Octavian – who was more than enough. And that was only the tip of the iceberg.

"Not really." Nico opened his locker, the loud metallic noise making him wince a little as he took out the books he needed. He also looked at his phone again, frowning.

"Why are you mad at your phone then?" Jason leaned on the lockers with a relaxed smile in place. That was unnerving.

"I'm not mad at it, it's mad at me." He had to slam the door twice to get it to actually close, and then turned to glare at Jason. It appeared that he was getting more used to it, and simply raised an eyebrow in response. "Well, Calypso is."

Jason almost shivered at that. Only week before, he had had the pleasure of meeting Calypso and seeing her explosive wrath first hand. Nico had heard all about the argument between her and Leo. From Hazel, of course, because Calypso still didn't want to talk to him.

He had expected her to be mad at him, but not that mad. Even if he was definitely too proud to apologize, it was starting to get to him. Calypso was important to him after all. Without really meaning to, he sighed and Jason frowned immediately. 

"I'm sure Leo will apologize if I ask him too... Well, almost sure." He suddently looked uncomfortable. "He went too far anyway." But Nico just shook his head.

"I don't really care about that." Was that cold? Probably. But that was also the truth. As he started walking up the stairs, he caught Jason following him from the corner of his eye and came to a stop, crossing his arms. "I'm not a little kid, Jason, I don't need you walking me to my classes." Jason rolled his eyes, and crossed his arms too, mirroring Nico's stance.

"I'm not following you, Nico. I simply need to go in the same direction." He smiled smugly. "Is that a problem?"

Nico huffed indignantly and walked away as fast as he could, Jason easily catching up to him. Honestly, Nico was starting to feel genuinely angry. 

Ha hadn't had any trouble with Octavian or his lackeys over the past week, and he suspected it had something to do with Jason going out of his way to talk to him and eat with him. Nico enjoyed it, he really did, but he couldn't help but feel a little pathetic. He felt indebted to Jason, and he hated it. It was easier to talk when Jason came to the bookshop, at least there there weren't people around watching. Well, there was Calypso, but she was ignoring both of them and usually let Nico alone anyway. And Hestia had been strangely absent these days, though Nico wasn't worried. She had a tendency to disappear sometimes.

He was finally left alone once he got to class and plopped down on his seat, weirdly tired. Dealing with people was tiring. As he dropped his head on his desk, hoping for a quick nap, someone lightly tapped on the books next to him. He turned his head slowly to glare at the offender.

Will Solace was smirking at him, not even fazed by his glare. Nico was always a little wary of him. Sure, he was nice and actually tried to talk to him a few times, but he also was also Octavian's cousin, and Nico didn't want any more links to Octavian than he already had. Not to mention attempting to be civil with Jason made him even more irritable than usual. And so he leaned his forehead back on the desk and closed his eyes.

"Fuck off, Solace." The guy dared to laugh in response.

"Aw, come on Nico, don't be like that. How come you're so nice with Jason and not with me?"

"I'm never nice."

Will just huffed a laugh, and leaned on the desk.

"I just wanted to give you these." Nico opened his eyes again to see a little stack of sheets on his desk. He raised an eyebrow. "You've been out this whole week, di Angelo. This is your best chance of catching up." At that Nico sat up, surprised, before slowly taking the notes.

"I didn't ask you-"

"I'm cutting you some slack, so just accept it." Nico stared at him. Will had done things like is in the past, getting his homework and notes when he was sick and stuff, but it was still really weird, and Nico couldn't figure out why he did it. "But, if you want to really thank me, you could come Saturday? I need someone to glare away the Stoll demons."

"Saturday? Come where?" Nico tilted his head a little, completely lost. Will let out a dramatic sigh.

"You don't even know what's going on at your own school!? There's a Halloween party this Saturday!" Nico stilled at that. Of course, Halloween. He really had been out of it.

"Sorry, but... Actually, I'm not sorry. Just no." Will whined at his desk, burying his head in his arms.

"You're so mean! Aren't my notes worth anything?"

"Not that."

Will raised his head, obviously determined to continue insisting for a while, but then the teacher entered and everyone begrudgingly got back to their seats. Nico just zoned out again, thinking about Saturday. His father would probably be back by then, so he'd have to sneak out again. Not that it would make a big difference. It was pretty fucking difficult to be sneaky in a psychic house. For some reason, even Persephone seemed to know everything that was going on under their roof, even without foreseeing skills. 

As the lesson started, Nico laid his head in his arms again, not even bothering to try and hide it, and he heard Will chuckling next to him.

***Calypso***

"I see you're still pouting."

"I'm not pouting! I'm just..." Calypso leaned in her seat, trying not to sound like a whining child. Her hair slid over her shoulder and she put it back swiftly, feeling as if everything tried to offend her. "He doesn't trust me with serious stuff. It's frustrating."

Hestia huffed out a laugh, smoothly driving the car onto a narrow road.

"It's not a matter of trust, Calypso, and you know it. You two just have different levels experiences and skill." Hestia stopped a second. "He just wanted to be sure you two could handle the problem before jumping in head first."

Calypso nodded stiffly even though she was still pissed. She knew, objectively, that she would be dead weight to Nico if things turned bad. But the point of all of this was for her to learn. It was frustrating to feel as far behind as she was.

Hestia let her think this over quietly and focused on driving. They had gone to buy new things for her house earlier – for some reason, Hestia had an awful luck with lamps and had to replace them often– so they had left Nico to look after the shop. Well, initially Calypso was supposed to do that as well, but when Hestia found her next to the car, she hadn't objected and simply took her along. It had been a nice change of pace to shop with her, and Calypso felt a lot calmer as they made their way to their last stop for the day.

Nevertheless, she was incredibly annoyed at Nico. And that latino guy who kept coming to piss her off. She should've slammed a door in his face. Maybe she would do it the next time he came?

When they came to a stop, Calypso quickly stepped out, happy to be outside despite the cold air. She stretched her arms and looked around while Hestia got out. The garage was a little worn down, but apparently the owner was a regular of Hestia's and always had discounts for her. Indeed, when the man stepped out of the building, he was smiling warmly as he took the hand that Hestia extended to him with obvious affection.

"Hestia! It's good to see you! You're just in time, as usual."

Calypso looked around once more. She wasn't an expert, but she still knew enough about vehicles to do basic maintenance on her car, so she went rarely to these kind of shops. She kind of wanted to go inside and look around, but she stuck by Hestia's side. After a few minutes, the man went back inside, leaving the two women to wait outside. Calypso looked pointedly at Hestia, who shook her head as the mechanic came back with papers for her and then went to look at her car. 

"It won't be long, you can wait inside if you want."

"Thank you." Hestia inclined her head a little before gesturing at Calypso, and inside they went. The building smelled of oil and fuel and was surprisingly warm. The office where they waited was pretty clean, and while Hestia sat and fiddled with her gloves, Calypso looked at the pictures on the wall. Unfortunately, they didn't distract her long from her thoughts for very long.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Calypso asked, trying to keep her tone light, even though she was doubtlessly curious. Hestia shook her head a little.

"Not yet." She tapped her lips lightly, thinking. "I thought I could help Nico, but maybe I shouldn't divide my attention like this..."

"Help Nico? With that guy at school?"

"Jason Grace." Hestia swept her hands over her jacket, straightening it. "I guess I'll stop looking into that for now. I'll tell Nico what I found and leave the rest to him." She let out a shaky breath, and fully turned her attention to Calypso. "Did you notice anything after coming here?"

"Not really..." Calypso started as the door was opened again by the mechanic.

"Okay, everything should work fine now," he told them with a smile. 

"Thank you very much." Hestia got up and Calypso quickly followed her outside. Hestia hummed to herself and turned to her before opening the car. "What do you say about Chinese takeout?" Calypso smiled sheepishly.

"I'd say yes please!" She reflexively plunged her hand into her pocket, a slight frown on her face as she hesitated for a second. "I'll ask Nico what he wants." Hestia nodded with a sly smile and they quickly went back to the road.

***Jason***

Jason got home pretty early since Nico had thrown him out of the shop because _homework, Jason!_ and Leo was still "working," so he wasn't surprised to find his home empty.

He went to watch TV for a while, since his parents wouldn't be pestering him to do something productive for once. There wasn't really any good on right then– was there ever with TV ? - and Jason felt himself slip into a sort of light sleep. The couch was pretty comfy after all. He let his thoughts drift, thinking about a the past week. It had been... weird.

Well, on the bright side, Piper and him were now mostly back on friendly speaking terms, even if there was still some awkwardness when they were left alone together for too long, or when Piper leaned into him without thinking, or when he called her "Pipes" like he did before. But it was better, and that was the important thing. Leo was obviously relieved by that, since he wasn't forced to pick sides anymore.

Instead, he had been pissed for a whole day after meeting Calypso. He had gone on and on about how bitchy she was, and then after Jason had reminded him that he had hit on Drew and Khione before, he just stopped ranting about her and started pouting instead. But for some reason he still tagged along when Jason went to the shop. Calypso and him spent the whole time engaged in glaring contests when she was here. Which wasn't often, for some reason. 

Oh right, she was angry at Nico...

Jason had been talking with him a lot more these days. Well, Jason was talking, Nico was mostly listening and slipping in snarky comments here and there. But he always seemed a little uncomfortable talking at school, and Jason didn't really get why. He had been extra careful not to bring up the bullying thing again, and as far as he knew, it hadn't happened again. But Jason didn't mind going to the shop after school since it was just as good as his room for doing homework, plus there was coffee and Nico. 

Sadly, even with books and coffee, Nico was still as much of a mystery as ever. Jason had tried asking some more personal questions a few times, about his family and what kind of history he had with Calypso and the owner of the shop, but Nico always brushed him off. It was unnerving, but Jason didn't want to push too far just yet. He wondered how long it would take for Nico to really trust him. A month? Two? A year? He would probably be gone in a year though. 

Thinking about college somehow made him think of Reyna. She was pretty busy with her applications and tests, and he hadn't seen her a lot lately, but she always seemed tired. She had actually told Jason about squatters in her old house, again, and it was really draining for her to have to take care of the whole mess. As usual, Jason was a little pissed at Lupa for not helping her, but then again the woman had never been outwardly caring. If anything, she was more like a lion who pushed her cubs off a cliff to see who would survive... And Reyna was nothing if not fierce and determined, so it was a terrifying combo. Still, maybe he could find a way to help her, at least a little? He owed her at least that much.

Jason practically jumped out of his seat when his phone buzzed loudly on the coffee table. He swept his hand across his face, noticing that it had gotten darker outside while he zoned out, and reached for the device. Piper had sent him the info for Saturday, and also told him again that it was fine if he wanted to go with the football team like he had in previous years. 

Jason quickly replied and took his things upstairs to get started on his work. His thoughts were still a little muddled, so he threw his bag in the general direction of his desk before sinking into his mattress with a sigh. He really didn't feel like working. Rather than clearing his head, that little rest on the couch had just made him sleepy. Despite the hazy state of mind, an idea made its way to the surface.

Hmmmm... That probably wouldn't work... But at least it was worth a shot!

Jason picked up his phone again, smiling at his newest addition to his contacts, and quickly sent a text before he could chicken out.

_Hey Nico, are you free Saturday?_

Jason stared at the text for barely a second before his phone buzzed, but for a call. From Leo. Jason picked up, a little surprised.

"Hey! Aren't you still working?"

_"Well, duh! Of course! I mean, I'm supposed to be. But I just heard something super weird and I had to tell you!"_

"What now? And stop screaming please."

_"I'm not screaming! But that's not the point! Tell me again what the name of that pretty woman who came to visit you was?"_

"My dad, she came to visit my dad, Leo! And her name was Hestia, why?"

_"Well~ I think I just saw her at the garage, and she was saying some weird shit..."_


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm posting the halloween party chapter....for the new year. Don't worry guys, I'm totally in sync :3  
> Anyway, this is a just a quick note for those who follow the story at this time, I have a lot of work for school, and not as much time to write as I want to, but I'll try to slowly return to my original update speed.  
> For now, enjoy ~

***Nico***

Nico winced as he felt a sharp edge of the wall collide with his shoulder. He wasn't even allowed a second to readjust before the same set of hands banged him against the wall again and again. Just for good measure. What a nice way to start the day.

"You REALLY piss me off, you know! What, you thought clinging to Jay like a goddamn coward would keep you safe? Huh?" Bryce leaned over to bring his face right in front of Nico's, his sneer twisting his face even more with his broken nose. "Hey, you listening? Is is an important discussion, you know. I'm making a point here!"

Nico blinked quickly. The back of his head was throbbing, as well as his upper back, and he was pretty sure Bryce was going to suffocate him if his iron grip didn't let up soon. He felt something warm drip down his lips and his chin, but when he raised his head, he didn't dignify Bryce's taunting with a response.

Instead he stared blankly at him for a few seconds, already feeling annoyed. He had known this would happen if he kept hanging around Jason at school, but that didn't make it much more bearable. Despite knowing how this would end, he hadn't done a thing because he was happy around Jason, and every time he pushed him away, this jock managed to transform into a defenseless puppy... Maybe he should've kept doing it anyway. Still, right then, what he wanted more than anything was to piss off Bryce, so he made a point of looking him in the eye and smirked.

"You little-!" Bryce let go of one hand, pulling his arm back for a swing, his grin completely gone, but Nico wasn't just going to sit back and take it today. He ducked, choking a little on his collar, and raised his arm quickly. He smiled when his elbow collided with Bryce's chin. The senior stepped back, holding his face and swearing loudly, but Nico didn't wait for him to retaliate.

He grabbed his bag and ran down the stairs, away from his class. Skipping a few hours seemed like a brilliant idea, suddenly. He just didn't expect for someone to be walking at the bottom of the stairs and violently collided with someone, seeing only a flash of blond hair before he fell flat on his shoulder. 

"Fuck!" Nico gritted his teeth, ready to bolt down the hall, but then suddenly a pair feet entered his field of vision.

"My my, are you in a hurry, Nico? I don't even get a hello?" 

"Oh for fuck-"

Nico stood up slowly to face Octavian, who was smoothing his jacket down. He frowned at some imaginary dust before smiling widely at Nico.

"Now now, that's a lot of swearing. Mind the place a little, would you?" As always, he spoke with grand hand gestures, and Nico did his best to breathe slowly. Unfortunately, Octavian had a way of ruining his days and making him angry. 

_Stay calm._

"But what a surprise! I don't see Jason anywhere! I thought you two were joined at the hip now? Or were you a simply millstone around his neck? It's hard to say." Octavian slid an arm around his shoulder, and Nico felt himself shaking a little, his hands forming fists.

_Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm._

I really should've stayed home.

"Well? Come ooon, we don't taaaalk anymore! I miss our little banter." Octavian leaned in, whining in his ear, and Nico froze.

_That's it. I don't care if I'm expelled. I don't care about this stupid school or its stupid students and-_

Nico raised his fist a little, his head strangely clear despite the constant throbbing, but then another person had to decide to interrupt his regular routine. Great. However, this time, Octavian stilled, and a twitch threatened his ever-perfect smile. He turned around, keeping an arm around Nico.

"Hey!"

"Reyna! How rare for you to be late!"

"I could say the same to you. Does the student council president have time to fool around when classes have already begun?" Her voice was devoid of emotion, and Nico couldn't tell if she was bothered by Octavian himself or just his behavior right at that moment.

"Right right, thanks for the reminder, Reyna. Come on Nico, how about I walk you to your class? You seem a little out of it." His grip tightened.

"Or how about you leave him alone and go mind your own business?" Reyna stomped forward, and Octavian finally lost his composure. When he responded, his voice was clearly full of disdain. 

"Look, Reyna, you can act important all you want, but you left, and you should act like-"

"Well maybe you should stop tarnishing this school's reputation with your petty-"

"Or how about you both shut up?" Nico muttered.

_CRACK_

Reyna and Octavian abruptly stopped their back and forth, and after a second, Nico turned his head and followed their gaze to a light on the ceiling that sizzled, the glass completely cracked. He stared at it for what felt like an eternity, the static-like noise filling his ears.

_Shit._

Nico shoved Octavian away and bolted for the exit. He ignored the chatter behind him and quickened his pace. He knew his instincts were always right! Well, maybe not always. But usually. He should really stop listening to Persephone and Hazel... 

"Wait!" Nico turned to glare at Reyna before remembering that he was supposed to investigate her, sort of. Maybe he should try to be more civil...? Nah. She caught him on a bad day, and he really didn't feel like forcing himself to interact with a person. Unfortunately, he had subconsciously stopped when she had called and she was already halfway to where he was. Damn her air of authority. 

Reyna stopped in front of him and remained speechless for a moment, looking at his face with her mouth slightly ajar.

"What?" Nico snapped at her, shaking a little. His Friday had already been exhausting. And it was still only morning! But Reyna shook her head. A frown settled on her forehead, and her lips formed a thin, angry line.

"You need to go to the infirmary." She turned around and walked forward, obviously expecting him to follow her, but she looked back to stare him down when she didn't hear his footsteps. "Did Octavian punch you?"

"He's not that stupid." Nico rubbed his arm to assess the damage. He didn't think he was injured in too many places, but his whole shoulder was sore and would definitely bruise. The pain wasn't completely unbearable yet, but he should probably avoid Persephone now. He'd figure out whether or not that was possible when he got a good look at his face. Against his better judgment, Nico started walking. He felt his nose, then his jaw with his fingertips. 

"Stop touching it."

"Don't you have class or something?" Nico shot back.

Reyna shot him a deadly glare that Nico gladly returned.

"I don't, actually. Terminus is sick." Reyna nodded at the infirmary door when they arrived, and Nico walked in.

Their nurse, Mellie, was a nice woman, he supposed. She was also curious, talkative, and completely incapable of leaving a problem alone once she stumbled across it. In other words, Nico did his best never to see her.

She was currently sitting at her desk, her dark, wavy hair partially hiding her face. She was watching her phone with intense focus. Reyna came in and closed the door soundly to get her attention.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't- Oh my, what happened?!" Nico winced at her high pitched voice. She got up quickly, and in less than a second she was hovering over Nico, tilting his chin up, and examining his jaw and nose. She then went over to her cabinets, pulling out supplies and muttering to herself.

Nico eyed the door wistfully, but Reyna was leaning on the wall next to it, and so he had no choice but to sit himself on the bed with a sigh. Idly he wondered if he could just nap and forget all about this whole day.

Reyna grabbed a chair and dragged it in front of Nico's infirmary bed. She sat ramrod straight with her arms crossed and Nico couldn't help but feel like a child about to be scolded. Damn, she really had a strong presence. He took a moment to watch her carefully, returning her gaze without really seeing her. There was no change at all with the... Stuff following her. It was maybe a little less present, but that was a good thing.

Mellie came back and spent a few minutes alternating between treating Nico's bruises and bloody nose and interrogating him. He understood that this was her caring about a student of her school, but Nico was just annoyed.

"Tell me again how this happened?" Cue stern look. 

"I fell." 

"Right." Cue stern look intensification. 

"Right." Nico looked away.

She eventually gave up and got him an ice pack to hold for a while. After a silent conversation with Reyna – meaning a nudge, a nod, and a sigh – Mellie left, muttering something about angsty teens and pay raises that had Nico frowning after her. Once she was gone, he looked back at Reyna.

"What now?" So maybe he didn't have the energy to be "angry" anymore. He'd just have to make do with "tired."

"I'm just staying until we report Octavian's behavior." Reyna's grip on her elbows tightened, and she squared her shoulders. "He can't get away with everything, and he has to learn that."

"Well, he can with this." Nico maneuvered himself to lay down while holding the ice pack against his cheek. "He didn't do anything."

"You don't honestly expect me to believe you fell, right?"

"Whatever." Nico turned on his side and quietly hissed at the dull pain that spread all the way down his back. Yeah, this was going to hurt for a while. 

"Look, I know he did something. You need to report it and-"

"I don't need to do anything, and neither do you. The council isn't your business anymore, right?"

Reyna stayed quiet for a moment before she got up to leave the room. Suddenly it felt like the temperature had dropped several degrees. Nico felt guilty as soon as he said the words, but the feeling didn't stick around for long.

Maybe he really should've done something differently? Jason was a dork and strangely easy to talk to, but he was also the captain of the football team, and that was where most of Octavian's lackeys came from. Of course they wouldn't like Nico getting close with their genius captain. And yet he'd let himself think that it was nice, actually talking to someone at school, eating with someone, not having to flinch at the sound of footsteps...

Nico slung an arm over his eyes, blocking out the light, and slowly breathing in and out. 

_Stay calm._

As if. Nico gritted his teeth, thinking about Octavian's words. So that was really how others saw it. Nico needing protection from Jason. Being a burden. Even forcing him, maybe.

He heard static again. Like when a bug got too close to a lamp.

_Stay calm._

"Nico?"

He turned his head to see Mellie leaning over his bed with a frown on her face. Her voice was a lot softer when she wasn't panicking or muttering. After a second, she smiled at him.

"Do you want to rest here? Or maybe call someone to pick you up? It seems that you, ah, fell really hard."

Nico simply shook his head and resumed his previous position. He heard Mellie's heels clack against the floor for a bit, then there there was some shifting and then silence, meaning she'd probably reached her desk. Nico took in a steady breath. 

At least he had Halloween tomorrow.

***Jason***

"Stop brooding so much. It doesn't suit you."

Jason didn't even answer Leo. He simply shot him a glare and returned his focus to the phone in front of him. His thoughts had been a mess for a few days now, and he couldn't bring himself to ask the only person who could explain everything to him. He felt pathetic. And also a little angry. Being kept in the dark felt awful.

"Jayyyy, dude, bro, my maaan~"

"Stop whining!" 

"Then lighten up! It's a party! A Halloween party! And I still can't believe that you didn't want to dress up at first" Leo dramatically put the back of his hand to his forehead and Jason reflexively caught him when he started to fall backwards.

"Leo!"

"Look, I know there's stuff going on with you right now, but do you think you could try and enjoy the evening for a bit? She was really excited too, so at least pretend to look happy." Jason looked down at his best friend. He wasn't serious often, but when he was, Jason knew to listen to him. Leo was completely right too, so Jason put his phone away in his pocket. 

"Sorry, I know." He nudged Leo's shoulder, smiling when his friend almost lost his balance. "Hey, at least I agreed to the costume!"

Leo took a step away from him with exaggerated care and smiled widely at him as he walked a little circle around his friend. 

"No arguments there! You're lookin' pretty good, Cap!" Jason looked down at his Captain America costume. Honestly, he wasn't too much of a fan of Halloween to begin with, even if he had had fun with the costume part. Leo always dragged him into some theme thing, usually with Piper too, and he had only really started liking Halloween once he was old enough to go out with his friends. Before, well, his parents weren't really into parties or celebrations when there wasn't anyone to impress. He had also started going out with his team, which was fun, sort of, but mostly kind of felt like baby sitting.

Jason snapped back to reality when the door of the house they waiting in front of opened. Out came Piper, who smiled widely when she saw the two of them. 

"Leo! Jason! You look great!" She walked a circle around them with an approving nod. Leo puffed out his chest proudly.

"Well we always look great, so that's not much of an accomplishment, but I'm willing to accept any and all compliments starting now." Leo wiggled his eyebrows at Piper, who playfully swatted him away.

"Yeah yeah, I shouldn't have started. Jason looks better anyway." She winked at him, and Jason did a small courtesy, ignoring Leo's whining in the background. They made a little avenger trio, with Piper as their black widow and Leo as obviously-I'm-the-genius-of-the team-who-do-you-take-me-for Stark.

They made their way back to Jason's car and then left for Silena's house... Well, Silena and Drew's. As much as Jason wanted to have fun and relax with his friends, he also couldn't believe he had actually agreed to spend an entire party in Drew's territory. He was a little happy to have an excuse to not drink though, since he was the trio's driver.

When they arrived at the house, there was already a small group of people in the yard who waved at them, all costumed and smoking... Something. Piper stood between Leo and Jason with a grin and linked their arms together before walking to the house. It was a fairly large house, with plenty of Japanese influence thanks to Drew’s father. Unlike her friends, Piper already knew her way around, since Silena invited her often.

“Piper !”

She turned at the sound of her name, as did Jason and Leo, to see Silena walking towards them with Charles Beckendorf at her side. He was dressed up as a werewolf, probably, and Silena as a druid. As always, they looked sickeningly sweet together. Jason forced himself to smile, even if he felt a little hurt. It was like seeing Percy and Annabeth, or Hazel and Frank. He wasn’t jealous of them, just a little sad when he saw what he and Piper might have been. 

“Silena! And Beckendorf! You two look great!” Silena smiled happily and tugged at her loose ponytail. She was pretty and popular, but never really seemed at ease with too much attention. Charles slipped a comforting arm around her shoulder, and Leo whistled off to the side.

“Oh hush you!” Piper slapped the back of his head, before turning to the couple and starting a heated discussion about the club that she and Silena were in, debate. The three boys sighed in impressive synchronization before drifting off the side, where the food and drinks were set up on two tables. The number of students there was already was pretty impressive, but then again it was a Drew and Silena party. Both of them were well liked (albeit by different people). 

Leo took it upon himself to create some sort of plastic cup structure that made it impossible to take cups for drinks, aided by Charles, who was more than happy to help with the other boy’s mischief. Jason subtly stepped away from them. If something happened, he didn’t want to be there when Silena saw it. Unfortunately, that meant he didn’t see Drew coming until she had taken hold of his arm.

“Jason! I didn’t think you’d come.” She was, as always, dressed impeccably to catch the attention of every guy in the room. She knew that her form fitting red dress showed off her body perfectly, but even if Jason logically knew how beautiful she was, his first reaction was flight. It took effort for him to give her a polite smile instead, turning around to put a little distance between them.

“Hi Drew. I didn't really think I would come either. I'm mostly here for Piper and Leo.” She frowned at that but was quick to recover and offer him a drink ( _no thanks, really, I have to drive later_ ) and introduce him to some of her friends ( _Yeah, sorry, I really have to keep an eye on Leo_ )...

All in all, it was everything he'd expected. Of course at some point, Leo’s lovely little cup sculpture fell, making a mess on the table and floor, and Silena became a hurricane. It was then that Clarisse chose to show up, and being the great friend she was, went to catch Leo and teach him a lesson about messing with Silena’s preparation.

The rest of the party pretty much went like that. Jason talked with some of the sober people while everyone else made a mess and suffered Clarisse’s wrath until Silena calmed her down before the cycle started again. At least Piper was having a good time. She had been laughing all night, and Jason was content just being there for that. He even agreed to dance with her for a while, even though he had absolutely no sense of rhythm.

It was a few hours later when Jason noticed Reyna for the first time, frowning at a greenish colored drink with purple… stuff floating in it.

“Problem with the buffet, Reyna?”

“I think this buffet is the problem.” She look at the substance and at all the Halloween themed food for a few more seconds before snatching a soda. “How come you’re here? I thought you’d be with the football team.”

“I thought you wouldn’t be here at all.” Generally Reyna preferred smaller parties with close friends. Plus, she seemed exhausted these days.

“A few girls from the track team are here, and I’m their driver… mostly.” She looked around a little. “Nico isn’t around, is he?”

Now that was a surprise. Jason’s brain took a second to start functioning again.

“No… I mean, I don’t think so. Why ?”

“Well, you’re together a lot, so I thought you’d know.”

“No no, I mean, I didn’t know you knew him.”

Reyna turned her can in her hands thoughtfully, her frown deepening.

“I don’t really know him. But there are some things I want to discuss with him. When you see him, could you tell him that?”

Jason scratched his head, looking everywhere but Reyna’s face. He really didn’t want to think about Nico right then. He was supposed to be taking a break from his problems, not having them shoved in his face. And he felt strangely betrayed that so many people seemed to be taking interest in Nico these days, precisely when he wasn’t exactly talking to him. Which was stupid, since most people just badmouthed him.

“Jason? Are you okay?” He forced his gaze back to Reyna and saw some kind of recognition in her eyes. “Did Nico-“

“Oh god, is he here? Like actually here?” Both turned to the new voice, and it took a second for Jason to recognize the face in the dim lights. The boy had his hands on his hips and a pout on his face. “I needed him to scare off the demon twins, so why is he only nice to you?”

“Will, right...?” Will nodded to Jason, a bright smile on his face. He was swaying a little, but seemed okay overall. “Nico’s not here.” His smile fell a little at that.

“Aww, too bad. I thought this time for sure…” He crossed him arms, nodding to himself. “But I guess if you can't convince him, no one can.”

Reyna was mostly amused by his behavior now, but Jason was just confused.

“Are you… friends?” Will’s eyes widened a little before he burst into laughter, waving a shaky hand at Jason as he tried to breathe. 

“Ow, fuck… Can’t breathe… Are you… Serious?” He was trying to stand upright again, still holding his stomach. “Have you met him? Of course we’re not! Not for lack of trying though…” That last part was delivered with a new pout, and Will pointed at him. “So tell me your secret! How did you make him like you? I've been trying for two years, and he just barely tolerates me !”

“How surprising…” Reyna commented, sipping on her drink, but Will didn’t dare to talk back. Jason crossed his arms, a strange and disagreeable feeling twisting his insides.

“I can’t make him do anything, and honestly I don’t think he likes me that much.” _But then, what was with Hestia’s visit? Her talk with Calypso? And what about the keychain? What did all of this mean?_

“Hmm… It’s the first time I've seen him hang around someone so much at school though… Well, since elementary school anyway. Back then, he was always stuck to Jackson or his sister.”

“Percy?” Then what was that thick tension every time the two saw each other? Also… ”Wait, I thought Hazel only moved here like three years ago.”

Will put his hand on the table to stand. He must’ve been more drunk than Jason thought, but he was still talking perfectly clearly.

“Well, duh. I’m talking about his older sister, Bianca.”

Jason stared at him, thinking back to all his conversations with not only Nico, but also with Percy and Annabeth. He was sure that no one of that name had ever been mentioned, and he didn’t know a "Bianca" at school either.

“Wait- Oh, what now?!” Jason took out his phone, noticing Reyna’s unwavering gaze on him and Will. She had been quietly following the discussion with interest since its start. Will was muttering to himself about his bad luck or something now.

When Dakota’s name flashed on the screen, Jason had a really bad feeling. He had told him that he wanted to spend Halloween with his best friends this year, and Dakota hadn’t been jealous or anything, he'd just told him that he needed the vacation.

_Well, he's probably drunk again and calling on accident… Three times._

Indeed, there were three missed calls from him already. Jason went outside to have a chance of hearing something and called him back, his feet tapping at a rapid pace on the ground.

_“Captain! Please, don’t leave your poor soldier to stand alone!”_

Jason sighed loudly. The slurred syllables were enough to to prove that Dakota had already drank quite a bit. But when he heard Jason's voice, his tone became more urgent.

_“Wait wait wait! There’s a real emergency! We need you right now!”_

“What for?”

_“Okay, so we just went to Bryce’s, since his parents aren’t around, and he has, like, tons of booze, right? But then he said something about testing our spirits or something and we all ended up following him, but I just heard him say something about the cemetery!"_

“The cemetery? What?”

_“Jason, there’s paint in the car… and booze. Plus the cemetery?! I am not liking this combination! You heard what happened with that junior and his friends who vandalized the place three years ago? Jake is freaking out right now because what if his parents hear about this? But he can’t just go wandering around town at night, and he doesn’t have his car, and the others are following Bryce and I think I might be panicking a little and-“_

“Okay, okay, stay calm, I’ll go wait for you guys there. Don’t tell the others though, okay?”

Jason didn’t hear Dakota’s answer and didn’t wait for it, already starting towards his car, his hands shaking. He really couldn’t leave his team alone, they were worse than children! And it was supposed to be a fun night! With everything gone wrong, Jason felt that he had every right to be angry. When he got to the road, he must've sworn enough to make Leo proud. 

He thought about him and Piper briefly, but he decided to come back to that once he'd settled this. 

Time seemed to stretch as he drove to the cemetery, and Jason forced himself to loosen his grip on the wheel. He probably wouldn’t make it in time.

He didn’t make it in time.

There were two cars parked there already – Bryce’s was right front of the gates – but Jason also noticed a motorbike a little further in. 

_No way._

He ran through the gate, intent on kicking Bryce off the team by any means if he pulled something like this again, and then he heard them. Arguing or something. He there was something that sounded like a crash, and then Jason saw his team grouped around Nico di Angelo, his hand stuffed in the pockets of a worn out jacket that was way too big for him. He was glaring at the crowd in front of him, apparently lacking any preservation instinct. 

Jason froze, completely at a loss for a minute. On one hand, he knew that Nico hid a lot of things and he kinda wanted to corner him and interrogate him until he got the answers he wanted, but on the other hand…

Jason sighed, walking up behind his team and making sure to make as much noise as possible on the gravel.

“Anyone care to explain this?”


	13. Chapter 13

***Nico***

Nico stared at the black door for what felt like hours. It wasn't that hard. He just had to knock and say, like, one or two phrases, and he would be out with what he needed. But as he stared and stared enough to make him surprised that he hadn't made a hole in the wood already, he hadn't even managed to raise his hand. He just turned on his heels.

He was pretty sure talking to people wasn't supposed to be this difficult, even with the complicated father-son relationship he had.

In the end, Nico got a warm jacket and his bike and left the house without saying a word to anyone. But he did give a pat to Ms. O'Leary. She deserved hugs and love.

The town was pretty animated. Children and adults alike walked around in costumes, and orange balloons and pumpkins decorated the houses. Nico had to take a few detours to avoid the crowds walking in the middle of they busy streets, but he didn't mind. The air was fresh but not too cold, and the sky was clear. His mind buzzed softly, and he felt genuinely calm for once. Halloween night always had that effect on him.

Well, not always, but ever since three years ago. He didn't really want to dig up those memories right now though, not when he felt almost content for once.

Nico got to the graveyard and parked his bike in front of the gates, happy to see it empty. It had been vandalized a lot – really, _a lot_ – over the past few years, probably because it was small and not very secure. It had gotten better after the school expelled some guys who did it though. Nico let his hands linger on the cold metal bars of the high gate before strolling inside, breathing a little better already.

He let his gaze wander as he made his way inside, watching blurry figures move around him and between the graves. Tonight was a night that let spirits appear more clearly and more often. It wasn't just spirits of dead people either, but ones from all kinds of occult influences. Nico loved it. He didn't know how people could celebrate without seeing all those colors painting the night.

He walked on, only stopping occasionally when he met a spirit who wanted to chat, before stopping at an intersection and sitting in front of a gravestone. He took a picture with his phone and sent it to Calypso, wondering how long he would have to grovel to earn her forgiveness.

After a while, a little girl approached him. Nico looked at her and she looked back at him for a long time before coming to stand next to him. Nico wondered if he should be sad, seeing someone dead so young, but after a while he just had trouble thinking about the living and the dead as different entities. Besides, it was hard to be sad when you saw a girl bounce happily on her feet while looking around excitedly.

Nico turned around, wondering if he was sitting on her grave, but she didn't seem to mind either way. He was already feeling colder, but he didn't mind. He simply laid his head back and sighed deeply. He felt perfectly at home...

…That was probably worrying.

Nico wasn't sure how long he stayed there – mainly because he fell asleep at some point – but a piercingly cold touch woke him up.

Nico woke with a start and looked down at his arm so see a tiny hand on it. The girl was staring straight ahead with a hollow gaze, but her grip on him was firm and sucking all the warmth he had from his body. 

Nico swallowed, and he tried to get his throat working again before following her gaze to a group of jocks wandering between the graves. With booze.

"Oh, for fuck-"

Nico stood up slowly, feeling his joints pop, and rubbing his arms. Damn it was cold. Sleeping on a stone outside on an autumn night was probably a great way to freeze to death. Nico gave the girl a smile and walked over to the football team – because of course they had to be there – and noted with amusement that she was following him closely.

When he saw Bryce's face in the crowd, Nico felt the sudden need to punch someone. Why did he have to ruin Nico's days _and_ nights?

He stopped in front of a lamp post and stuffed his hands in his pockets, waiting. Unfortunately, his translucent friend wasn't so patient, and with a shriek, the light bulb above him shattered. Nico winced, annoyed that no one else had heard the shriek. But oh well, the spontaneously shattering lamp light might be enough to scare them away. 

Sadly, the noise only got their attention, and Nico instantly identified two types of people in the group. There was Bryce and his friends, who looked positively delighted to see him there (judging by their sadistic grins), and the others, who mostly looked uneasy and/or tipsy. Actually, no, make that three types, there were two or three kids in the back who were just terrified. 

“Hey, look guys! Neeks was summoned!” One of the jocks – Nico couldn’t for the life of him remember the guy’s name – leaned on Bryce and waved his beer bottle. 

“Did you just step out of your grave? How 'bout we party here? We got loooots of paint for a good makeover.”

Nico wrinkled his nose at the jock’s slurred words, but he didn’t say a word. He just wanted them out of the graveyard. Would they follow him out if he made a run for it? If not, would they be satisfied enough to leave if he just let them beat him up? Even if some of the jocks looked uneasy and ready to bolt, Nico wasn’t sure if they would actually leave. 

The guy – his name was _really_ hard to remember – took a few unsteady steps towards Nico, his grin seemingly glued to his face.

“Well buddy? You're kinda grim for a party buddy.”

“This isn't a party–” _shit, his name, his name, umm, fuck it_ “– dickhead, it's a graveyard, so how about you go get drunk somewhere else?”

His face scrunched in confusion for a second before his eyes cleared and he lost his easy grin. He threw his beer in the grass and took a few steps forward.

“You know, I think I like you better when you shut up, creep.”

Nico braced himself, wondering how much distance he could put between them. Probably not that much, this guy was fast.

“Anyone care to explain this?”

Nico almost laughed. Almost. 

Fucking Jason Grace, _Jason Grace_ , had come to the rescue dressed as Captain America. Okay, so he may have laughed a little and tried to cover it with a cough. Fortunately, no one was paying attention to him anymore.

Half the team looked at Jason with profound relief in their eyes, and the other half looked like herd of deer caught in headlights. Even Bryce nervously tapped his bottle before reading the situation and shoving it behind his back. Smooth. Jason just stood there with his arms crossed, looking stern and angry. If looks could kill, his team would’ve been nothing but a pile of ashes. Well, maybe not. Nico couldn't imagine Jason murdering anyone. Before talking to him he might have been able to, but he couldn't anymore.

Nico's eyes caught Jason's, and for a second he saw genuine confusion in them and froze.

_Did I do something…?_

Bryce quickly recovered and walked up to his captain slowly, a twitchy smile on his face. 

“Captain! Just in time for the party! I thought you’d never show up!” He slipped his arm around Jason's shoulders, only to receive a cold glare.

“I _was_ at a party, actually, relaxing with friends,” Jason said, roughly throwing Bryce’s arm off. “Until I was called to babysit you.” Nico saw a few guys wince at that. “What were you thinking!? That vandalizing a graveyard would be _fun_? That you could just do whatever you want if I'm not here to keep an eye on you?” Yeah, Jason was definitely pissed.

“Well fuck you Grace! We don't need you to 'keep an eye' on us! We were just messing around! We weren’t gonna 'vandalize' anything!”

“Yeah, and I’ll bet you had spray paint in the car and left the door _wide open_ for no reason?” Jason rubbed his forehead. “I don't care what you want or think, Bryce, but I'm responsible for this team, and I won’t have you dragging everyone else in the mud. You pull shit like this one more time, and I swear you’re off the team.”

After that, the situation boiled down to a cacophony of curses and shouts from Bryce and his friends, met only by Jason's stern gaze and stiff posture. Nico watched them for a few moments before deciding that Jason had the situation under control. Not much use in standing around.

Nico slowly made his way back to his previous seat and carefully lowered himself back in front of stone, annoyed by how far the sound reached. He really hoped Jason would make his team leave soon. Nico wasn't sure why, but after all those claims of wanting to be friends, Jason had started avoiding him completely around the end of last week. It had been... Disappointing. Especially since Nico didn't know what he had done to make Jason want to avoid him in the first place.

He felt a cold touch at his jaw and smiled a little.

“It's not me you should be thanking.” Nico turned to look properly at the name on the grave. Elsa White. “I think they're gone for good now. Sorry for the disturbance.”

“Who're you talking to?”

***Jason***

“Sorry Jayyy! You were havin' funn and all and we had to go and ruin everythingg!” Dakota was most likely crying on his shoulder. Well, no, he was definitely crying on his shoulder. Jason patted his head and looked pointedly at Jake, who came to take his drunken teammate by the shoulders.

Jason watched the group slowly make its way towards the gates and sighed deeply.

“Jake, please tell me there are still sober people in this mess. I really don't want to drive everyone here home.”

“Yeah, don't worry, he–” He heaved to readjust Dakota “–was just stressed. You know how he gets, but some of us didn't even drink. We’ll be fine.” Jake ducked his head, looking at his shoes. “I’m sorry, Captain. We didn't want to bother you tonight, I swear.”

“Don't worry about it, just make sure everybody gets home safe, okay?” Jason gripped his shoulder for a second before letting him go. He then turned to face Nico, or rather, the place where Nico had been standing a moment ago.

_here did he go?_

Jason rubbed his eyes, feeling a slight pounding in his head. He walked further into the graveyard, looking around. With the noises of his team slowly fading away, the place was just getting creepier and creepier. Jason was sure he wasn't just imagining the fog rising between the graves or the whistling noise he kept hearing. 

Jason almost fell over in shock when he saw Nico's head poking out from behind a grave. He breathed an audible sigh of relief when he realized what he was looking at. 

Unfortunately, now that he was there, Jason wasn't sure what to do. He really wanted to ask Nico about Hestia, but it didn't feel right to start questioning him after... That. He mulled over these thoughts for a few seconds before he realizing that he could hear Nico talking.

“...think they're gone for good now. Sorry for the disturbance.”

Maybe they could just talk for a little while? Just to make sure Nico was alright? And then Jason could go back to Silena's house, forget about this whole thing, and go back to sulking....or thinking. Whatever. He made his way to Nico's side, surprised to see him smiling a little.

“Who're you talking to?”

Jason was actually a little proud to see Nico jump a little out of his seat. It was hard to take him by surprise. 

He was also sitting on a grave. Which was a little disturbing, but Jason could let it go. He lowered himself down next to the boy, wincing at the coldness of the ground beneath him.

“You're not going back with your team?”

“They can manage without me for a while.”

“Doesn't seem like it.”

Nico sat cross-legged on the floor, his hands still in his pockets and his back against the gravestone. Jason rubbed his hands on his knees, trying to keep his warm. His costume was warm, but not _that_ warm. He wondered how Nico looked so normal. He must've been freezing. He also wondered why Nico was in the graveyard. Maybe...

“Hey, Nico?”

“What?”

“The team didn't drag you here, did they?”

“Huh?” Nico frowned at him. “No, why?”

“Just... Never mind. What are you doing here then?”

“So now you want to talk?” Jason flinched at that and looked down at his knees. _Fair enough_. He rubbed his hands together and looked around at the graves. Earlier he had been at a party to avoid his problems, and now they were thrown just being thrown in his face again. Shifting a little, Jason felt his keys in his pocket and made his decision.

“I want to. Talk, I mean. Is that okay?”

“...Sure.”

Jason felt bad, sweating even though it was freezing cold. He had _missed_ talking to Nico, even after just a few days. Right now he didn't want to anger or annoy him, but at the same time he also wanted some answers. His head was just a big mess right now.

_Let's start small._

“What are you doing here, really?” Nico raised an eyebrow at him before making a show of sitting comfortably, stretching his arms high above his head.

“Enjoying Halloween, of course.”

“I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic or serious.” They grinned at each other, but then Nico turned his gaze away.

“... I guess, to be fair, I'm also avoiding my dad. Sort of.”

“ Really?” Nico nodded quietly, and Jason waited for him to continue before realizing that that was all Nico was planning to say on the matter. He shivered a little and wrapped his arms around himself. “I get that.”

Sitting still made his joints stiff, so Jason shuffled to lean back against the grave too, but then he stopped suddenly.

“Is it okay to sit on this? I mean…” Nico turned to face him but didn't say a thing, tilting his head slightly. Jason started gesturing with his hands. “Isn't this...disrespectful? Or, I don't know, rude…? Stop laughing!”

Nico tried to cover his mouth, but he couldn't stifle his laughter completely and ended up making an embarrassing little snort-laugh kind of noise. Suddenly Jason forgot everything he wanted to ask. _Huh._

“Don't worry. I've got permission. And since you chased the idiots away, I'll grant your permission too. Just this once.” 

Jason frowned a little, but he sat back slowly. 

“That sounds completely legitimate,” Jason deadpanned, sarcasm dripping from his voice. But Nico just shrugged, a tiny movement lost in his large jacket. 

Jason began to fiddle with the loose strings on the hem of his sleeve. His mind was blank, and the cold air was burning his throat. _How long has he been out here alone?_ Jason couldn't seem to find a comfortable position and shifted every few seconds, but that didn't seem to bother Nico, who was just gazing calmly at his surroundings. 

“Can I ask you something else?”

“Depends.”

“Do you know Hestia?” Jason held his breath, expecting denial, fear, something after what Leo told him. But then Nico turned his head, simply looking confused.

“Yes? How do you know her?”

_He doesn't seem worried at all... Was Leo mistaken?_

Well, it was kind of a weird thought to think that Hestia would stalk Jason for Nico’s sake. Jason huffed out a weak laugh, relieved. 

“I'm not sure, but apparently we're related somehow.”

Nico's eyes widened at that, and his arm shot out to support his weight as he leaned in.

“Seriously?” 

Jason nodded, and Nico sat back, shaking his head. “Well, that's... Unexpected.” He stared at his lap for a minute before lifting his eyes to meet Jason's with a grin on his face. “You know that means you're related to Calypso too, right?”

Jason opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. No, he hadn't thought about that at all. Maybe because he had only ever seen Calypso screaming at Leo and throwing books at him. _Fuck, Leo!_

“Please don’t tell Leo! I just feel a disaster waiting to happen.” 

“S'not like I talk to him anyway. Your secret is safe.”

Nico's voice was light, but Jason felt it drop like a stone in his stomach. He shifted again, feeling the stone dig in his back, and tried unsuccessfully to come up with a safe topic of discussion. And while he had managed to do that a lot before, he couldn't find any then. He kind of wanted to reach out for Nico, just for a small touch or a nudge at his shoulder to make sure he wasn't frozen, but he had seen the result of trying to touch him already.

Jason ended up staying there silently, watching the white puffs of his breath dissolve into the air. What was Nico even doing there? He could've gone to the shop or something if he wanted to avoid his father. At least it was warm there. Or he could’ve even gone with Hazel, wherever she was. Why was he here alone?

The buzz of his phone snapped Jason out of his daze. He pulled it out to find two texts from Leo, whining about his disappearance. He didn't even sound worried. Jason slowly got to his feet, hissing when his joints popped, and he stretched once standing. 

_God, that’s uncomfortable... How is he sitting so still?_

“I have to go, I'm supposed to drive Piper and Leo home...” Jason looked down at Nico, who nodded once before turning his head to stare straight ahead again. “Um, maybe you should...I mean...”

“I'm fine Jason, I can take care of myself. Go back to your friends.” Nico's tone was flat and devoid of emotion, so Jason could only trust his words.

“Okay... Oh! Right! I meant to tell you, Reyna wants to talk to you.”

Jason watched carefully as Nico's shoulders tensed for a second before slowly relaxing again. Once again, he just nodded, albeit a bit more stiffly this time, and didn't add anything. 

Jason went back the way he came, a little relieved to be back on the side of the graveyard, even if he did look back over his shoulder a few times. With each glance he took, Nico's form merged more and more into the shape of the graves around him.

***Reyna***

“Why is everyone leaving? It's a party! A fucking party!” Will waved his arm around, spilling some of his drink on the floor, and Reyna wrinkled her nose. She couldn't honestly be angry at him though, since he had no ill intentions.

“Only Jason left.”

“Yeah, but he was pretty. We need pretty faces.” Will nodded to himself and drank the rest of the liquid in his cup while Reyna sipped her soda slowly, smiling in spite of herself. She made a show of looming over Will, who was just slightly shorter than her as he hunched over a table.

“What, I'm not pretty then?”

Will raised his head and stared at her with so much intensity that Reyna had to press her lips together to keep from laughing. 

“You're pretty,” he decided with a pompous tone. “But Jason is pretty too!” He nodded to himself again, swaying a little on his feet before raising a finger with a bright look on his face. “Nico is prettier though!”

“Really?” Reyna was actually surprised. Will seemed like a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, while Nico was... Well, he seemed to have a lot of issues, and he wasn’t exactly nice or sociable. He definitely wasn’t the kind of person she would expect Will Solace to call “pretty.” 

But the subject of Nico made Reyna worried. She knew Octavian, and he had obviously something to do with the whole bullying situation. 

Yeah, bullying. Reyna couldn't believe she had missed that. She had wanted to focus solely on her studies and clubs during her last year of high school, and everyone had been supportive of her choice. When she had heard that Octavian had been chosen to replace her at the head of the student council, Reyna almost wanted to demand a redo of the election and run again just to stop him from having the position… And yet, at the same time, she was _tired_ after years of working hard to organize the student council. Not to mention she had college applications to deal with and figured that maybe she could cut herself some slack just this once. Not everything needed to be her problem, and Octavian would never bother her if she did him the same courtesy.

Yeah, thanks to that kind of thinking, she had taken a bruised and battered freshman to the infirmary and couldn't get him to report Octavian because _she should've seen it coming sooner_.

“Hey? You okay?” Reyna's eyes snapped up to see Will waving his hand in front of her face. “You spaced out there.” His words were a little slurred, but the concern on his face was real and sobered him up a little.

“I'm fine, just thinking.” She really wanted to talk to Nico again. She knew how Octavian was, so maybe she could convince him to help her report him. Screw the whole 'cut herself some slack' thing, if she could get him expelled, that would make her year. 

“Well, if you say s- hey! Hold it right there, you-!” Will turned around a little too fast and had to catch himself on the table. Reyna saw a guy, no, two guys, twins, disappear into the kitchen.

“Well, now people are leaving.” 

And that was fine by her. The loud music was starting to give her a headache, and she just wanted to go home and curl up in her bed for some much needed sleep. Reyna looked around for her teammates, but then she caught sight of an unknown girl walking towards her with a smile on her face.

“Excuse me, but are you by any chance Reyna?” Her voice was probably softer usually, but the girl made herself heard over the music, leaning into Reyna's space. She had honey colored hair with light brown eyes, and Reyna was pretty sure she had never seen her before. She narrowed her eyes.

“Yes, and you are?”

“Oh, sorry, I just got the wrong person twice, so I wanted to be sure first.” She held out her hand, and Reyna shook it with a puzzled look. What a weirdly old fashioned way to introduce yourself. “My name's Calypso, nice to meet you. I wanted to talk to you, but…” she looked at her phone and frowned. “I should probably get going right about now. This is important though. I think I can help you.”

“How so?” _You mostly just sound weird to me._

Reyna didn't voice the thought, but it hung in the air between the two girls, not that Calypso seemed deterred.

“Well, for one thing I can tell you who’s been breaking into your old house and why. I'm sure you'd find that interesting, no?” Reyna opened her mouth, but no words came out, so Calypso went on. “Here, let me give you my number. You can call me any time to discuss it, among other things.” She then turned around and nodded to Reyna. “I really have to get going, but I hope to hear from you later. Bye!” 

Reyna watched her go without saying a word. Okay, so maybe the music and the atmosphere really were getting to her head. She felt numb.

_Wait a minute. WAIT A MINUTE._

Too late for that, unfortunately. Calypso was already gone. Reyna swept a hand over her face, tempted to scream in frustration. She could've had her answers right there! Why couldn't problems just show themselves when she wasn’t exhausted?

Reyna opened her hand and to look at the paper folded in it. Calypso had a nice writing, all curly letters, and the paper was plain white. 

“Okay. Alright.” Reyna lifted her head to look for her teammates again. She was gonna get some sleep, and then get some answers. But first, she had to navigate a crowd of drunk people and get to her house without strangling anyone. Oh joy.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha....this chapter was a lot of suffering for me and my beta reader XD Mostly because he's longer than the others. So I apologize for the wait, but I hope you'll enjoy it ! :3

***Reyna***

Reyna woke with a start, her breathing and heartbeat uneven. She looked around for a moment before slowly sitting up, making the sheets sink to her waist. Aurum whined softly, pawing at the mattress while Reyna petted his head.

The sun was pouring light into the room from higher in the sky, meaning it was probably close to noon. Reyna rubbed her hands together. They were freezing cold. 

It took her little more than a few minutes to get out of bed and mechanically get dressed before making a quick breakfast of french toast and bacon. Her dogs kept bumping into her legs and barking happily until she gave them their food too, and Reyna ended up on the couch with both of them at her sides like little heaters. She felt instantly relaxed. 

She had a million thoughts swirling around her head that demanded attention, but she pushed them away and tried to enjoy a peaceful breakfast before sorting out her life problems.

After putting her plate away, she checked her phone to see a few texts from the girls, all thanking her for driving them home or apologizing for the trouble. Reyna shook her head fondly before remembering last night.

Right. She had things to do.

Without music ringing in her ears or a swarm of people crowding around, it was easier to think. The situation was more than capable of making her head pound on its own though. 

She didn't have to search for long to find the note from Calypso. Reyna had put it on top of her nightstand as soon as she got home. The curly writing was still the same, though Reyna was still half wondering whether the whole exchange had happened in her head. It had certainly been a strange encounter, and she wondered what that girl really wanted. And why people were squatting at her old house. And what Calypso could do about it.

“Ugh...” Reyna rubbed her neck, already annoyed. She wanted this dealt with as soon as possible, but she also wasn’t stupid enough to go to a remote location alone with a stranger claiming to want to “help” her.

It really did sound bad when she put it that way, didn’t it?

In the end, Reyna still ended up spending a few hours doing school work and sending messages to her teammates, who had woken up at random hours throughout the day and sounded a little too hungover for her liking. At least they had relied on her to get them home and told her what they were doing rather than going behind her back. That had never worked before, and it certainly wouldn’t work now. 

She ended up studying Calypso's number again later in the afternoon, and finally decided what to do with it. First she sent a message to Lupa, and then she dialed the number on the note.

_“ Hello? Reyna?”_

“ Yes...” _What if that hadn't been me?_ “Calypso, right?”

_“ Yes! I'm so glad you called back!”_ Reyna could practically feel the happiness in her voice and wondered if it was fake. _“I'm at your old house right now. You should come out.”_

The line went dead.

“Wha-? Hey! Wait!” Reyna stared at her phone for a moment, completely stunned.

“She hung up on me." 

There was another beat of silence, and then Reyna threw her hands up, effectively sending her phone bouncing on the couch. “I can't believe this! She hung up on me! ”

Reyna stood up and paced angrily around her appartment, obliviously disturbing her dogs, who seemed to waver between whining and hovering by the doorway. It took a second, but she managed to calm herself down. 

Ok. What was the worst case scenario if she went out there to talk to the weird stranger? Calypso could be lying, and this might be genuinely dangerous... It was certainly suspicious, but then again Reyna wasn't exactly defenseless. She'd bring her dogs out too, and maybe have a taser on hand. 

Better safe than sorry. 

Reyna left the house in a blur, hastily shutting the door behind her dogs and waiting for them to pile into the back seat before setting off. She focused on the road and fumed a little bit at Calyso as she started towards her destination: her old house. Reyna wasn't a fan of putting off her problems, but she could barely stand looking at the place. She gripped the wheel tighter just thinking about it. But she also felt bad for relying on Lupa so much. It was a bad sign when even Lupa avoided mentioning the house in front of her if she could. 

The drive to the house was pretty long, and it gave Reyna some time to think about things other than her house. Like Jason. It had been a while since she had talked to him, she realized, and she felt bad about it. Her tendency to focus on her responsibilities and tasks at hand often caused her to forget about everything else. She really should call and have a real talk with him soon, maybe without a bunch of drunk people around. 

She also needed to talk to Nico. Reyna had thought about that a lot. She was worried about him and angry with herself. She was done just watching Octavian do whatever he wanted from the sidelines. 

But first, her house.

Reyna pulled up in front of the gates next to an empty car parked neatly by a tree.

Reyna got out, letting her dogs run ahead of her, and examined the other car. She put her hands just over the hood, but it was already cold.

Reyna turned towards the house, feeling sick already. Why was she even doing this? The logical reaction to being called to a remote location by a stranger would've been to turn around and call Lupa... or the cops. But Reyna squared her shoulders and walked onto the pathway. This was just out of stubbornness, and she knew it, but she still walked on with her hand in her jacket pocket, gripping her taser. She was stubborn, not crazy.

The front door was already slightly ajar, and Aurum prodded at it until he could go in, barking loudly at the empty hallway. Reyna flinched reflexively, but soon followed with Argentum at her heels. The sight of the place had her choking on her breath.

She hadn't been in the house since the day Hylla took her out of it years ago, and for some reason she had never imagined it like this. Decrepit and broken. Her house had been a lot of things, intimidating mostly, but it had been her dad's house. Their family's house. 

Reyna shook her head and walked past the threshold to look around. She bent down a little to beckon her dogs closer, feeling even more nauseated with each passing minute.

“Calypso? Just so you know, entering the house without my permission is trespassing.” Reyna whipped her head around at the sound of a door opening with a loud crack.

Somehow this house seemed to fit Calypso more than Silena's. She smiled when she saw Reyna, but her hands gripped her coat tightly, and her lip twitched. Reyna gripped her taser before releasing it and letting her hands drop to her sides. Aurum sniffed Calypso's sneakers when she came in the room, but didn't bark at her or growl, which was probably a good sign.

“Hello Reyna.” Calypso's smile was unnerving to say the least, but at least she didn't seem malicious. Just weird. She held her hands out for the dogs, and although Aurum kept his distance, Argentum quickly bumped his head against her fingers to be pet.

“Calypso,” Reyna answered swiftly. “Before anything happens, could you please leave my house? We can talk outside.”

“Actually, we need to talk here.”

“I'm sure I mentioned trespassing earlier.”

Calypso simply looked at her for a second before turning her gaze to the stairs.

“You really don't like being here, huh?”

Reyna stilled, gritting her teeth. “No, I don't.”

“But we need to be here, actually. I have something to show you.” Calypso got her phone out and used it as a flashlight before turning around. “Remember? I told you, I'm here to help.”

Reyna almost, _almost_ , grabbed her right then and there to drag her outside where she could lecture Calypso comfortably and drive away, but the conviction in Calypso’s voice made her pause. In the end, Argentum trotted behind Calypso and barked happily, prompting Reyna to follow with Aurum after a moment.

“This better be good, or else I'm pressing charges.” 

Calypso's laugh was dry at best, but she walked on with Reyna behind her.

***Nico***

Nico was dreaming. He knew at least that much.

He looked around – tried – but it was pitch black everywhere. He raised his hands before his eyes and pressed them against his face to make sure they were still there.

He tried to walk next, but no sound came from his footsteps. Combined with the total lack of light, Nico could only rely on the sensation of his legs moving and the vague feeling of something beneath his feet, though he couldn't have said whether it was solid or not.

He was pretty sure he was supposed to go somewhere, but couldn't remember where... In the meantime, he had to find some light. There had to be some somewhere. He was sure of it. 

Nico walked around for a long time, no longer aware of whether his eyes were open or not, until he finally felt something. There was a pull, a voice, echoing in a large room, and... and...

“!!”

Nico woke with a start.

He sat up abruptly, only to almost fall right off the bed before catching himself on the edge of the mattress. He breathed heavily for a few seconds, blinking at the light that poured in from the window. He didn't remember what time it had been when he finally decided to go home, but he knew it had been pretty late. 

Hating the feeling of disorientation, Nico got up to find his phone. Apparently it was already 1p.m, so there went his day.

As he opened his bedroom door, he strained his ears and listened carefully. But all was quiet. His dad probably took Persephone somewhere, since he had been absent for a while and she didn't like staying indoors all the time. Hazel had already told him that she had plans. 

He stepped fully into the hallway, only to hear a loud bark, and saw Ms. O'Leary poke her head out from behind the stairs railing.

Nico's lips twitched at the sight, but he still couldn't relax. He washed up quickly and padded sleepily into the kitchen for a late breakfast. He eyed his father's luggage - still next the couch - for a few moments before going back upstairs. He first sent a message to Hazel, to find out if he should cook for her later or not, and then threw his homework, his bag, and himself onto his bed. Maybe not the most productive setup, but his desk was way too messy to add more stuff, and he preferred the comfort of his room to open spaces like the living room. 

After a while, Ms.O'Leary nudged the door open, and Nico didn't have the heart to coax her out, so he patted the mattress beside him until she came to drop her head on it and he could scratch her neck softly. 

But as time passed, Nico got more and more restless, unable to focus on his notes. He read the same lines over and over again and still forgot everything after a second. Not to mention Hazel had told him at some point that she would be coming home early and asked him to wait for her, which odd but somehow didn’t stick in his buzzing mind. 

As he was getting ready to throw his bag out the window and maybe himself too, he got a text from Hestia.

_-Do you know where Calypso is?-_

Nico stared at the text, not really reading anything except the word 'Calypso'.

_Something's wrong._

“Shit!”

_Something's wrong._

He barely took the time to grab his jacket before sprinting down the stairs and then bursting out the door.

_Something's wrong._

He put on his helmet and didn't even think twice about his destination. He already knew where Calypso was. He just hoped he could get there in time.

***Reyna***

“Stop.”

When Calypso didn't stop walking, Reyna ran up to her side and grabbed her arm, her insides feeling cold and twisted.

“I said stop. That's enough.” Her voice was level, but even she could hear the edge in it. “I don't know what you've been doing in my house, and I don't care, but it stops now.”

Calypso looked back at her with a stern face and stepped away, her arm sliding out of Reyna's grip.

“Why? So that you can go back to ignoring this place completely?” Reyna felt her shoulders stiffening, but didn't react otherwise. “Tell me, Reyna, what use is this old, deteriorating house to you?”

“That's none your business-”

“No, it isn't. This is.” Calypso got her phone out and swiped her thumb a few times over the screen before showing it to Reyna. 

She looked the screen closely, not getting what it was initially. She took it from Calypso's hands and squinted at the picture until she finally recognized the background as a hallway in her house, only thanks to a painting on the wall. She hadn't realized how dilapidated the place had become, though that wasn't the most concerning part of the image. The alarming part was the man who was walking down the hallway. Although she could only see his back, Reyna felt a shiver run down her spine.

“Who is this?”

“You tell me.” Calypso shrugged under Reyna's gaze. “He's been wandering through your house for... Quite some time.” She tilted her head to the side, her face blank. “So how about we ask him?”

“Excuse me?” Reyna finally tore her gaze from the screen to see Calypso walking away again. She felt more than a little lost, and looked at the picture for another second.

That man was way too familiar for her.

“And what were you doing exactly, taking pictures in my house?” She said, catching up with the other girl and shoving the phone into her hand. “You'd better at least have a good explanation for that."

“I was exploring.” 

Reyna raised an eyebrow at Calypso, who only grinned in response.

“What? I like exploring dark, abandoned places. Especially ones thought to be haunted.”

Reyna shook her head, a little thankful for the ridiculous remark. She wasn't quite sure what to make of Calypso yet, but she didn't think Calypso was dangerous. That didn't mean she was letting her guard down though. The situation was still weird beyond comprehension. She took her taser from her pocket and gripped it tightly. If there was some strange guy in her house, then she wasn't going in unarmed. 

Calypso eyed the taser but didn't say anything. 

The poor state of the hallways, made it hard for Reyna to gauge where they were going, but when she saw the door of the lounge hanging slightly ajar, her feet froze and her breath stopped.

Unfazed, Calypso walked steadily to the door and opened it with little difficulty before going right in. Reyna forced her legs to follow her, even though she felt sick just thinking about it. 

The room was, like the rest of the house, moldy and broken, but still recognizable. Nothing had really been moved, except for the books from the bookcases. It was a large room with a faded red rug in the middle, and in the far left corner there was a small round table that was pushed against the wall. There were two chairs were next to it, one broken on the floor. Near the door there were some cabinets on the wall, and on the right stood empty bookcases full of dust. The windows were barricaded, like they were in every room, though it was slightly more impressive in here, with excess planks propped up against the wall and large unused piles scattered around.

Reyna took a cautious step inside, focusing on a spot on the floor just beside the large carpet. 

_Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm_

“Wow.” 

Calypso was leaning towards the wall to examine the crossed swords mounted on it. There were three similar wall ornaments around the room, one of them hanging on the door and missing a sword. 

“What?” Reyna asked through her teeth, sounding a lot harsher than she intended.

“It's just unusual to see so many weapons in a house. I mean, they're everywhere. These ones here are really impressive though.”

“You’ve never seen them before?”

Calypso shook her head with a smile, but it dropped when she turned and saw Reyna's ashen face.

“Then why...” Reyna sucked in a breath when she nearly choked on her words. “Why are we here?!”

Her voice was raised on the last word, and she didn't care for Calypso's guilty face or the fact that she was definitely scaring her. Reyna felt heat pool in her chest, and she found it easier to cope with the need to throw herself on the ground and scream when she focused on the burning anger she was feeling instead. 

“I don't see _anyone_ suspicious here except you! And I tagged along because I thought that maybe, just maybe, you had good intentions, but I've had enough of your _stupid mindfuck_!”

Calypso frowned at that and took a step towards Reyna

“I'm sorry this place makes you uneasy, but it was important to come here, and I'm not sorry for that.”

“You'd better be out of my house when I call the cops.” Reyna turned around, ready to storm out and call 911, but then-

_BAM_

Reyna blinked once, twice, at the dust floating between her and the door. Which was now closed. 

“Huh?”

She gripped the handle and pulled with a hard twist, but the doors were stuck together like glue. Reyna pulled on it one last time before turning around and stomping over to Calypso, grabbing the collar of her jacket.

“What the fuck is going on?!”

“I don't know!” She looked terrified, but she still had the strength to glare harshly at Reyna.

Reyna let her go when she heard steps in the hallway, and both girls kept quiet until the echoing sound faded away.

Reyna threw one more furious glare at Calypso before trying to open the doors again. It didn't even budge, like the doors were actually a part of the wall and the handles just there for show. Reyna stepped back and took a second to breathe deeply to calm her hammering heartbeat. With measured steps, she picked up the broken chair. There wasn't a lock, so breaking the handles should probably be enough.

“You really hate this place, huh?”

Reyna barely spared Calypso a second glance before positioning herself beside the door.

“Still none of your business.”

“Only kind of. I told you, I want to help.”

That got a harsh laugh from Reyna.

“Really? By locking me in here?”

“I didn't lock the door. I just know that this place is important.” 

Reyna slammed the chair down on the handles, only to have one of the wooden legs break into a burst of shards. She quickly dropped it and stared at the chair on the ground for a few seconds before turning back to the door. Not even a scratch. Her breathing picked up, and she gripped her shirt.

“But you don't even want to look at it.”

Reyna glared at Calypso.

“You seem strangely calm, for someone stuck in an abandoned building ready to collapse.”

“There's that too.” Calypso sat cross legged on the floor. “This house is a disaster waiting to happen, and I'm sure you hate that, but you don't do anything about it.”

“It's not a problem if no one comes here. And no one should, since it's still trespassing.”

“It's a problem to you. You can't face it and you can't let go. That won't work forever you know.”

“What are you, a wannabe psychologist?”

Calypso opened her mouth with an annoyed frown, but she never got the chance to voice her thought. Her jaw dropped, and suddenly she was frozen. 

_Reyna._

Reyna froze. She carefully kept her eyes on Calypso, but the voice seemed to whisper right into her ear. 

_You wouldn't betray me, would you?_

Reyna felt a breath on her neck, and then there was something else. A strange noise, like running water. There was no controlling her breath then, and her heartbeat filled her ears with a thundering noise, but she still turned her head, almost subconsciously.

Her father.

He was standing right next to her, bent down a little so that their faces were at the same level. His mouth was twisted in an angry snarl, and even in the dim lighting of the house, shadows seemed to play strangely on his face. And his eyes...

His eyes weren't there. There were just empty holes overflowing with a dark liquid, dripping down his chin. 

_Of course you would, you UNGRATEFUL BITCH!_

Reyna barely noticed his arm being raised from the corner of her eye, too focused on her father's face contorted in fury as he opened his mouth with a sickening gurgling noise, and his voice rang through in her mind. But then suddenly she was pulled back just as his arm came down.

“Shi- Reyna, get up, come on!”

Calypso crouched down next to her and pulled her arm up until Reyna was on her legs again, though she was pretty sure that even the slightest movement would send her falling to the floor again.

“Dad...?”

She registered the short combat knife in his hand, his snarl, the dark pool bubbling at his feet, and the strange shape of his neck, like it was bent in multiple places in an attempt to imitate a normal posture. 

“I'm going to be sick...”

“Later.” Calypso narrowed her eyes at the door. “First we have to get out.”

_You just never listen to me, do you?_

Her father was staring right at her, she could tell even without seeing his eyes. She was petrified, and as her mind tried to resume normal functions, the only thing running through it was the certainty that _'this was NOT possible!'_

“What's going on?” She gripped Calypso's hand. “What is this!?”

“Not the time!”

Her father took a step closer, then another. It wasn't just his neck now, his whole spine seemed distorted, making his steps uneven and unnatural.

“Fuck fuck fuck, why?” Calypso was muttering off to the side, but Reyna barely registered it. 

That was fitting, Reyna thought. This whole situation was an incomprehensible nightmare, but a fitting one. After running and running, she was in the same place again, and this time with no one to save her.

“Move. Move.” Reyna repeated it like a mantra, but couldn't move a finger. She was downright terrified. Why was her father here? _How_ was he here? How could he talk? Or move? She had seen him fall, with a blade through his chest. She had seen Hylla's hands shake for hours after and even watched as the puddle of blood on the floor grew larger and larger...

“No... No no no, you can't be here...” Reyna still felt Calypso trying to pull her away, her grip making Reyna's arm numb, but her legs felt like concrete had been poured on them. “You can't... It's not...”

_It's not real_ , she thought as her father raised his arm again, and a voiceless scream filled her head.

Suddenly the door burst open, falling off a little at the hinges. There was a strange hissing sound in the air, and then Reyna saw her father bend impossibly backwards until his head was practically touching his back. There was a scream, and then... he disappeared. 

Reyna blinked, not quite reacting to what she had just seen, like she had blacked out for a second and missed the transition. Nico was standing in front of her now. He was clearly out of breath, one hand clutching his side, the other bloody.

“Reyna? Calypso? You okay?”

He took a few steps toward them, watching Reyna carefully. And Reyna... Just shut down. She stared at the floor, where her father had been, convinced that it had all just been a very, very realistic hallucination, only to see dark liquid still spreading over the wooden floor. She raised a hand and took a few steps toward the wall before promptly throwing up.

“Nico, I-” Calypso began in the background.

“What were you thinking?!”

Reyna barely heard them bickering, though she knew that Nico was angry and Calypso was staying silent. Reyna was more focused on properly puking out everything she'd eaten for the past week and spitting weakly. Her throat and nose burned, and her head felt stuffed and ready to explode. She was still trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened.

She felt a careful hand on her back and turned a little to see Nico offering her a tissue.

She wiped her face and spit into it, trying to get rid of the taste before facing him. Nico seemed mostly undisturbed, though there was a little crease between his eyebrows, and he looked back at her evenly, waiting.

“So... I saw my father.”

He nodded.

“My _dead_ father.”

He nodded again.

“Fuck...”

Reyna went to sit against the wall next to the door and gripped her head.

“Please tell me I'm crazy. Or at least delusional.”

“You're not.” Nico kneeled in front of her, and Calypso watched from a little farther away, avoiding eye contact. “That was...Well, a ghost.”

Reyna didn't say anything. She simply dropped her head to her knees.

“Ghosts aren't real.”

“I literally just said that they were.” 

Maybe it was the dry tone of his voice or the way Nico stated facts while sounding incredibly bored by them, but Reyna started to feel a little more like herself.

_A ghost. My father. Here. At my house._

_..._

_Okay. Okay._

“That was him on the photo. You knew he was here.” Reyna raised her head to look at Calypso. “Is this your idea of ‘helping’?”

Calypso flinched at that and stared at the floor. Nico looked back at her, and his gaze softened.

“It wasn't… optimal, that's for sure,” he said with a measured voice. “But, to be fair, bringing someone who knew a spirit when they were alive to confront it usually isn’t a bad tactic. Unless the spirit’s _that_ violent.”

“I'm sorry, Nico, I thought... I just...” Calypso gestured aimlessly, and Nico just shook his head.

“We can talk outside, and you should definitely apologize to her first.” He got to his feet and held his hand – the not bloody one – out to Reyna. “Come on, we have to get out.”

Reyna gazed at his hand for a long, awkward moment before taking it and getting to her feet.

“We'll talk after this.” Nico tossed her a cool look, tilting his head as he waited for her acknowledgement. Reyna nodded back and looked at his hand. “How did you get that?”

Nico tilted his head like he wasn't sure what she meant before raising his injured hand.

“I needed to open the door.”

“With a bloody hand?”

“With a bloody hand.”

Reyna felt her frustration come back full force until Calypso stepped in.

“I thought you didn't like circles?”

Reyna glanced at her, then examined Nico's hand more closely. She had just enough focus to make out some kind of drawing on the palm of his hand in blood. Maybe she still had enough food in her stomach to puke again. That sounded really nice.

Nico scowled a little. “Not really. It's just the complicated ones are a pain.” He lowered his hand and then looked behind him. “We really have to go now.”

Without a backwards glance, Nico walked through the doors. After a beat, Reyna and Calypso followed him. 

Reyna still felt fuzzy and stunned by the whole situation, but little by little, her thoughts were becoming coherent again.

_So ghosts. Are a thing. And my father is one. Okay. Okay. And Nico... He's..._

What _was_ he? Reyna studied the back of his head, as if she could see his thoughts if she just looked hard enough. This mess still made no sense to her, but she was somehow not surprised to see him there. He seemed more at ease in a rotting haunted house than in a public high school.

The three of them carefully walked back the way they came, and Reyna noticed for the first time how tense the atmosphere was. It wasn't just a vague impression either, the whole house felt like a giant being, ready to suffocate them. The thought didn't help Reyna calm down at all.

When they got back to the entrance, Reyna was able to breathe again. Finally. They all went down the stairs, and that was when she felt that something was off, but she didn't know what. Calypso practically ran to the door, but Nico was still next to Reyna, and suddenly he shouted.

“Watch out!” Reyna barely had the time to raise her arms before he pushed her to the side. She managed to stay on her feet, quickly turning to see her father again. He was standing right where she had been, crouching around his arm and the blade he held. She felt familiar sense of fear, and a sickening feeling filled her head and stomach, but she also registered how close to her father Nico was standing and the focused look on his face.

That shook her up a little.

But as Nico took a step forward and raised his hand again, probably intending to try the same move from earlier, Reyna's father whipped his head around with a loud crack and looked straight at him.

_Not again, boy._

And then the floor at Nico's feet exploded. Reyna raised her arms as dust and debris flew around, and then she heard a strangled shout from Nico, along with a much clearer cry from Calypso. 

“Nico!”

***Nico***

Nico wasn't really sure what had just happened, but he was suddenly pulled away from the ground, and his head hit the wall hard, the 'thud' shaking his skull. But he didn't slide down the wall, and very soon started to gasp for air.

He blinked, chasing black spots from his vision and reaching around his neck with his hands.

_The cables. The loose cables. Fuck!_

He caught them around his neck and pulled as hard as he could, but he still felt dizzy and _needed air really really bad._

From the corner of his eye, he saw Reyna approaching her father slowly with anger radiating from her in waves and a focused look on her face, but he also knew how terrified she was of him. He couldn't just leave her alone against him, and Calypso wasn't within his field of vision for some reason.

Nico kicked against the wall and pulled again on the cables in vain, but felt more and more dizzy with each passing second. 

_It's no use. He's just gonna strangle me like this. I have to try something else..._

When he saw the answer, it was actually pretty simple, but pretty dangerous too. Still, he needed something extreme to get Reyna and Calypso out of here, and since Hestia wasn't here, he'd have to do it himself.

Nico tried to raise himself up a little with his grip on the cords, sucking in as much air as he could. He turned his head a little toward Reyna, who was now standing a few feet away from her father, her gaze locked on Nico's.

“Run...” He muttered, before letting go.

He barely had the time to register the shout before everything went black.

***Reyna***

_You would kill me, Reyna? Again?_

Reyna tried her best to ignore her father's words and focused on Nico, who was choking on the wall behind him. She held her taser before her, though what good it would do against a ghost, she didn't know. But he seemed solid enough, so she had to hope. Calypso was a little further away, still out of it because of her fall when the floor burst, so she wouldn't be of much help right then.

_Of course you would... OF COURSE YOU WOULD! I KNEW IT! I ALWAYS KNEW IT! I SHOULD'VE KILLED YOU A LONG TIME AGO!_

Reyna jumped back as her father's blade sliced the air a few centimeters in front of her, and she quickly corrected her stance, breathing deeply. She couldn't listen to him. She didn't have the time nor the luxury to listen to him because someone would _die_ if she didn't act now.

She flicked her gaze to Nico, and froze when she saw him looking right back at her, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. He mouthed something weakly – 'run' – before sagging against the wall. 

“NO!” Reyna threw her taser at her father's head – a dumb choice, given it was her only weapon – and sprinted towards him, except she didn't make it to the wall before another voice rang through her head. Nico's voice.

_RUN !!!_

Then everything shook, and a hiss rose through the air. Suddenly Reyna was thrown off her feet and thrown onto the floor, the impact emptying her lungs. 

When she opened her eyes again, she was pretty sure she had blacked out because the scene before her was surreal. The whole world was filled with flames. Everywhere she looked, flames were eating at the walls and the floor, the heavy smoke already starting to make her cough.

“Nico...” Calypso said weakly.

Reyna crouched and winced before looking at Calypso who was beside her, staring at the middle of the room with wide eyes. Whatever she saw, Reyna certainly didn't.

She looked around, panicked, but Nico had slid from the wall and was curled up next to it. Not to mention very close to flames.

Reyna stood up quickly and hauled Calypso to her feet.

“Get the door!” After her experience with the lounge's doors, Reyna wasn't about to take any risks. She had to shake Calypso a few times before she finally looked at her and nodded, and then Reyna raised her scarf to her face, coughing heavily, and went to get Nico.

The already fragile floor was crumbling under the fire's assault, so she had to walk painstakingly slowly and carefully to get to him. When she finally reached Nico, she was a crying and coughing mess. The smoke was burning her eyes and her nose, but she ignored it when she finally kneeled down next to him. 

Reyna maneuvered Nico onto her back, wanting to be able to watch the floor on her way back, and she couldn't help but notice how cold he was despite the surrounding flames. She walked back to the door as quickly as she could, looking around for a sign of her father, but he had disappeared again. 

Calypso was still struggling with the door when Reyna got to her, and the two girls looked at back at the fiercely burning room.

“Is there another exit nearby?” Calypso asked after two more tries.

Reyna didn't even try to speak, just shook her head, and Calypso looked back at the door with evident despair.

And then it opened.

Reyna was getting tired of surprises, _really tired_ , but she definitely obeyed when the woman outside shouted at them to get out.

They ran away from the house, sucking in the now breathable air, and Calypso collapsed on the path, shaking a little. Reyna almost followed her example, but didn't want to drop Nico. She could feel him breathing against her neck, but he still wasn't waking up. Reyna twisted her head to free her nose from her scarf and breathed in deeply before turning around and to look at her house.

It was impossible for a fire to spread so quickly through such a moldy, humid house, but somehow it had, and the roof was already collapsing on its side. The sight left Reyna feeling sick, and for a moment she expected her father to come out and try to kill her again, but he didn't. The only sound was the wood burning and cracking.

“Oh Nico...” 

Reyna turned around to look at the woman who had saved her. She wasn't really tall, but she had dark hair tied into in a ponytail and brown eyes that shone red under the light of the fire. She sounded worried and angry at the same time. 

“Where did you go?”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha, I'm so late, I have no excuses, I just had a lot of troubles with this chapter...e.e  
> But hey, it's here now, so I hope you'll enjoy it ^^'

***Nico***

Snow was falling all around him, and little white spots blurred his surroundings. He felt the cold in his bones and the hard floor pressed against his jaw as warmth poured from his chest.

But then there were ashes, dark heavy smoke, and ruins, with a thin layer of mist overlaying it all. Nico wasn’t sure why he was still there. Was he supposed to be somewhere else? He couldn’t remember if he was, and the place was silent. 

After a while, he noticed some people around, contributing to the white noise in the back of his mind. But that was only a temporary concern. Nico wasn’t interested in them, and they weren’t interested in him. What should he do now? Should he even do anything at all?

“Hello Nico.”

Hestia. She was tired, as evidenced by her lack of leather wristbands and bracelets and the darkening shadows around her eyes. Still, she smiled warmly at him and suddenly she became Nico’s point of focus, a sort of light, and he found his voice.

“Hi Hestia.”

She sighed and sat on the floor, crossing her legs on the ground of the ashen field. Nico felt a little guilty for that. Her light and smooth clothes would be stained wrinkled.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to burn it all.”

“It’s alright. No one’s going to miss this place anyway.”

Nico was missing something. He was sure of it. It clicked when Hestia stayed silent for a second too long, patient as always.

“You’re here to bring me back.”

Back to where though? He was here to fix a problem. But it was solved now. And he was still here…

“No.” Hestia’s voice turned harsh, though her mood didn’t darken. “I won’t make you do anything or order you around. You know that.” She paused. “But I thought I might tell you that Hazel is worried.”

Nico’s heart sank. Right. Hazel. That was where he should be. Where he should always be. Otherwise what would be the point? But he struggled to find his words again, and before he could, someone appeared at Hestia’s side.

“Are you okay ma’am? You can’t stay here, the walls could collapse at any moment now.”

A cop. Hestia was undoubtedly irritated, but her smile froze on her face, and she hid her annoyance well. She thanked the man before getting to her feet and turning to Nico one last time.

“Well then. Whatever you decide, I’ll be here if you need me.” 

And just like that she was gone, small puffs of ash rising in clouds in the wake of her steps. The cop simply watched her for a second, clearly confused, before shaking his head and returning to his colleagues. 

Nico stayed there. Thinking. Hesitating.

_It would be so easy._

But he couldn’t do that to her.

Nico forgot about his surroundings, about Hestia, about the cops, and suddenly it was dark. He felt something heavy surrounding him, keeping him still, hurting, exhausted. And then he opened his eyes to his bedroom ceiling.

***Jason***

When Jason got to school on Monday, the first thing he did was look for Piper. She hadn’t called him after he drove her back (unlike Leo, who had complained very loudly and very often about his hangover, probably worsening it). Usually Piper would have called at least once to check on her friends. At least, that was usually what Jason had come to understand. They had been together for a year, so maybe he was just so used to talking to her that this distance was disturbing.

But still. Since he was early as usual, he scanned the hall and her classroom to see if he could find her, but to no avail. The longer he searched, the more worried he got, so when it was time to go to class, Jason sent her a few texts just to be safe. Was he being too clingy? He frowned at his phone. Piper needed her space. She had made at least that much clear. 

So Jason slid into his seat, moody and worried, ignoring the chatter of his teammates that surrounded his desk. He wasn’t sure how he managed to do that until Dakota came into view at the exact same time as teacher. 

“Hey guys!” Dakota fidgeted a second before plopping down in the seat behind Jason, and he didn’t lose a second before leaning forward. 

“Hey Cap! Again, really sorry about the party! I swear we didn’t mean to get in the way or anything.” 

Jason turned around, not quite sure how he was going to respond to that until he saw Dakota’s dropping shoulders and avoidant gaze. Dakota was usually much more bearable when asleep or absent, but it was almost impossible to stay mad at him. He just wasn’t a bad guy.

“It’s okay. I think I would’ve been more worried if I hadn’t heard from you guys at all.” Jason grinned to lighten the mood, and after a second Dakota mirrored his expression. Their friends, who had been not-so-subtly watching, returned to their conversations, completely oblivious to the teacher’s presence in the classroom. She didn’t take to that very well and didn’t hesitate to silence them. 

Of course by lunchtime, their chatter was stronger than ever. However, as his friends walked into the cafeteria, Jason hesitated at the entrance. He kind of wanted to go find Nico. But then again, what would he even say if he found him?

He hadn’t put much thought into it before, solely focusing on getting Nico’s attention, but after seeing him in the graveyard, he just didn’t know how to approach the boy. It was like he had been getting by on a really vague impression of Nico up until now, but after seeing him completely at ease in the graveyard, he didn’t know if their school interactions would be the same. He had a feeling that their next conversation would be really awkward.

“Jason? You okay?” Jason’s eyes snapped over to Jake’s, who was inspecting him with a frown on his face. “Why are hanging back by the door?”

“…It’s nothing, sorry.” Jason followed his team inside, bought his lunch, and sat with them, but he wasn’t paying attention to their conversation anymore. That was, until he heard Reyna’s name mentioned. He raised his head suddenly, startling Jake.

“What?” 

A stunned silence fell over the team. So they were still nervous around him. Well, they had reason to be, but Jason had cooled down over the weekend.

“What about Reyna?” he clarified.

“I think the girls from her team pissed her off or something,” Bobby explained, leaning on the table. “Leila kept sending her texts to apologize after the party.”

“And you know that becauuuuse?” Dakota waggled his eyebrows at his friend, who only glared back.

“Because we’re friends. Look it up. You might learn something.” Jake’s snort couldn’t hide his laugh, and Dakota pouted over his lunch. 

Jason just smiled, happy to let them do all the talking, but when he saw Leo dragging his feet into the cafeteria, he waved him over. His friend dumped himself into a seat, dropping his tray loudly on the table before letting his head drop down next to it. 

“Everything has to be dramatic with you, doesn’t it?” Jason commented exasperatedly even as he patted his friend’s untamable bedhead. 

“I’m so booooored!” Leo whined loudly. His hand shot up to tug at Jason’s hand. “Let’s do something fun! Anything! Please!”

“We went to a party three days ago, Leo.”

“Exactly! And if I’m not careful, you’ll go back to being all business and no fun! I can’t let that happen! It’s my duty as your best friend.” Leo turned in his chair and took one of Jason’s hands in his, looking at him with the sternest face he could muster- granted that that wasn’t saying much. Jason raised an eyebrow, but he couldn’t really contain his smile.

“We have practice after school today,” Bobby reminded them, leaning a little on his elbows.

“Noooo! I’m already too late! How could this happen!?” Leo flopped onto the table, almost knocking over everyone’s drinks.

“I can come over after that if you want, so please stop crying over our lunches!” Jason raised his arms just in time to keep Leo away, but the whining sounds he made while flailing his arms were difficult to ignore.

The rest of the lunch break was a lot less eventful, but it had the effect of allowing Jason to forget all his worries. For the moment at least. He still kept Piper and Nico and Reyna in the back of his mind. And in his afternoon class, he remembered Will Solace and his words at the party. He seemed to get along with Nico. Maybe he could ask him for some guidance? Jason kept the idea in mind and decided to look for him when he could.

***Nico***

Nico’s day didn’t start off great. After he dragged himself out of bed, the doorbell rang as he was walking to the couch, and he ended up spilling some of his coffee when he jumped a little in surprise. Thankfully it only got on the table. When he recovered from his shock, he blinked a few times and looked owlishly at his phone to check the time, which had passed really, really fast. Mrs. O’Leary lifted her head from the spot that she knew Nico was about to sit next to and trotted happily towards the door while Nico stayed back for a bit, watching as spots of now-cold coffee spread out on the table.

He didn’t really remember how he got there. Or, maybe, he did. But it was blurry. The whole day had been a blur. 

He heard the doorbell again and forced himself to stand up and open it like the functional human being he was supposed to be.

“You’re awake,” Reyna said when the door swung open.

She was standing on his porch, looking startled but also relieved. Nico wasn’t sure what to make of it and stared at her for an uncomfortable length of time. It was only when Ms. O’Leary barked that he remembered how to speak.

“Reyna.” Yes, that was a good start. But Nico thought that he should probably say something else too. Preferably not something too long. “Why are you here?” He tilted his head slightly, trying to remember the last time he had seen her.

She seemed puzzled by his behavior though, leaning forward a little and narrowing her eyes at him.

“Are you okay? Do you need to sit down?”

_Oh, I remember. The house. I think I promised her a talk…_

Nico stared at her for a few more seconds before turning on his heels and heading over to the couch. He was just barely seated when he heard the door close and footsteps approaching. Thankfully he had just enough time to grab a tissue and wipe the table.

Reyna sat down next to him, draping her coat on the back of the couch before turning to face him with a puzzled expression.

“Nico, are you okay?” Her gaze flicked over the table and the abandoned mug and then moved to search his face for… something. Nico was vaguely aware that his face had been blank from the moment he had opened the door, but he wasn’t really sure what he could and couldn’t explain to her yet. He couldn’t even remember how they had gotten out of the house, but he still felt a twinge of relief upon seeing her there, alive and unharmed. 

When she held her hand out to him with concern obviously showing on her face, he jerked away and reminded himself that he had to answer the question.

“I’m fine.” 

Reyna was apparently not convinced at all, and she crossed her arms, staring Nico down until he forced words out of his mouth again. “Did Calypso explain things to you?”

“Actually that woman, Hestia, did.” Reyna leaned her shoulders back against the couch, letting her head fall on its soft cover. “I’m still not sure I wasn’t hallucinating.” She let her gaze wander off to the side, tugging nervously at a ring on her finger, and the action seemed to ground Nico a little. He leaned on the backrest as well and turned his head to look properly at Reyna.

“A question for a question?” he suggested. She simply lifted an eyebrow before nodding. “How did we get out?”

Reyna closed her eyes, pain flickering on her face for a second before it was gone, and her voice came out even and relaxed.

“Hestia got us out. She also brought us back here with her car and then explained some things. Your turn.” Reyna laid her hands in her lap and watched him carefully. “How did the house catch on fire?”

Nico paused before answering, “I did that.”

“I figured that out. I meant how?”

Nico frowned, not sure what he could add.

“I just…did.” He shrugged under Reyna’s harsh glare. “You might not have noticed, but my brain isn’t really functioning right now.”

“Is it because you passed out?” 

“Not your turn.” Nico leaned back, not quite comfortable with the position of his neck. “But yes. What did Hestia tell you?”

“Ghosts are a thing. So are psychics. My house was haunted.”

“That’s all?”

“Yep. Why did I see my father?” Reyna’s voice faltered a little, but she was keeping an incredibly calm voice considering the topic she had brought up. Nico looked at her curiously for a second.

“What do you mean?”

“He was a ghost, but I saw him. I’ve never seen one before, so why now?”

“Ugh…” Nico rubbed his head, already tired of this. How was he supposed to explain that? It just was. Hestia hadn’t explained anything at all! Nico took a moment to gather his thoughts and hoped that whatever he said was coherent. “It’s because you were in the house. Anyone in the house could have seen him if he wanted to be seen.”

“How?”

Nico was about to groan, but he stopped himself. It was rare for people to believe all of this. It was even rarer for people to actually take interest in this… whatever it was called and to want to understand the logic behind it. Besides, the more they talked, the more awake and alert Nico felt. He forced himself to sit up straighter and organize his thoughts. 

“It’s because the house itself was acting as… a body? Sort of? I guess ‘vessel’ is a better word... So he was hidden from the outside, but not the inside.”

Reyna mulled that over for a while and then slowly nodded. She was still subconsciously turning the ring on her finger, and when Nico found himself suddenly itching to do the same, he realized what the real problem was. The question she was dodging.

“Also, that wasn’t really your dad.”

_That_ caught her attention, and Reyna’s eyes locked with Nico’s in an instant. Her hands stopped moving.

“It was just a part. A…” Nico struggled to find the right words, and it frustrated him more than anything to understand something so self evident himself but not be able to explain it in words. Hestia was the only one who easily got things like that. “When ghosts linger, they aren’t always whole. Sometimes, it’s just a part of a person that stays. Just one feeling, or one memory, and over time it slowly loses all other pieces of its personality. So, that wasn’t your father. Just a part.”

“That really sounded like him though.” Reyna brought her knees up to her chest. “He went kind of crazy in the end.”

Nico waited a moment for Reyna to pull herself together before he spoke again.

“So, why did you really come here?”

“What, are you reading my mind?” She said it with a smirk but frowned immediately after. “Can you actually read my mind?”

“Nope. At least, not the way you think.” Nico smiled at Reyna’s confused expression, but the moment was short lived.

Reyna sighed and turned to fully face him, tucking her feet under her on the couch. Her face was grim, and for a moment she only looked at her hands. Then she raised her gaze with determination in her eyes as she started fiddling with her ring again.

“When you collapsed in the house, I passed out too. Not for long, and at the time I wasn’t really sure what was happenning, but on the ride back I… I remembered things.” Nico went perfectly still, a cold sense of dread spreading through his stomach. Of course. “I told Hestia about it, and she tried to explain it to me but—“

"You saw my memories.” Nico wasn’t sure he had spoken until he saw the pain in Reyna’s face and the tight grip she had on her own hand. Her knuckles were white and she looked two seconds away from tearing her own skin.

"Yes. I’m sorry. I don’t know why, I just…” Reyna took a deep breath, and Nico was ready for anything. Pity, maybe unhelpful advice, he had heard it all. “It wasn’t fair. I shouldn’t have seen anything without you wanting to share it, and I know you probably don’t with someone you don’t really know. So I’m really sorry for that, whatever the reason was, and I won’t bring it up anymore if you don't want me to.”

Okay, so maybe he hadn’t been ready for _anything_. Nico knew his surprise was evident on his face, but he didn’t really care. Her reaction reminded him a little of Hestia…

Nico tugged at his sleeves and cast his gaze downward. He wasn't sure what to say until a particular question popped into his mind.

“How much… How much did you see exactly?”

Reyna looked down to avoid his eyes, and that was enough of an answer, but Reyna voiced it anyway.

"I saw Bianca… And after.” Reyna carefully raised her hand and gave Nico plenty of time to lean away before gently rubbing his shoulder. “I also saw… Or, I guess, I felt, how you felt… About Percy.”

Nico groaned loudly, not quite sure which subject was worse.

"Just perfect…”

“Well at least that gives uses a common subject to complain about.”

For a second Nico didn’t really understand what Reyna meant, but when he did, his eyes snapped up. Oddly enough, she was grinning at him. When he stared at her for a full thirty seconds without changing his expression, her face fell, and she leaned away.

"I can go if you'd prefer....”

Nico thought about it, but he also knew that he didn’t really want to stay home alone until Hazel got back. Which was weird because he usually liked being alone just fine, but despite having all of his issues thrown at him at once, Reyna's presence was grounding. He slowly got up from the couch, stretching his arms as he did.

“Coffee?”

Without a word, Reyna grinned again and stood up to walk into the kitchen. Nico trailed after her.

***Calypso***

It would be accurate to say that Calypso was hiding. Holed up in the shop that felt empty and meaningless without Nico or Hestia, she was able to wallow in the guilt of her undeniably major fuck up. She needed to apologize so much, and it would probably be days or even weeks before Hazel forgave her for putting Nico in that kind of situation.

Just remembering when Hestia had brought him back…

Groaning, Calypso laid her cheek on the counter, feeling sick. She wasn’t sure whether the ache in her head was a bad premonition or just her guilt, but either way she felt terrible. She just wanted Hestia to come home quickly so that she could talk to her about everything and maybe feel just a little better.

But the next person to walk into the shop wasn’t Hestia.

“Hazel?”

Calypso raised her head to see a beautiful girl with dark skin and chopped hair looking back at her. She could have easily been just a normal client if she hadn’t been on the verge of crying and clutching her phone in her hand.

Calypso looked at her for a second before gesturing towards the back of the shop. “Hazel’s not here right now, but how about you come and sit with me? I can try to call her, but I think she’ll show up soon anyway.”


	16. Chapter 16

***Calypso***

Calypso leaned against the sink, doing her best to keep her fingers from tapping impatiently on her thigh. She had flipped the sign on the door to “closed” and led the girl – Piper, apparently – to the kitchen on the second floor. And now she was glaring at the whirring coffee maker as if it had the answers to all of life's questions. Unfortunately, after a few minutes, she had no choice but to put the coffee in a mug and turn around to face the other person in the house.

Piper was sitting at the kitchen table, clutching her phone so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. She was obviously doing her best to keep herself together, but her lips trembled every now and then, and Calypso could practically feel a mental breakdown coming. She desperately needed Hazel to deal with this. 

Hazel, who wasn’t answering her phone.

Calypso walked slowly to the table set the mug down as she slid into the chair. Piper raised her head slightly and tried to smile, but she gave up when she found it impossible. As she reached for the mug with her right hand, her left remained wrapped around her phone.

“Thank you, um...”

“Calypso.”

“Oh... Ohhhh, right.” Piper's eyes widened a little as she seemed to realize something. Calypso leaned forward on her elbow and frowned. 

“Yes...? What is it?” She tried to keep her voice soft, but she wasn't really in the mood for this. All she had to do was distract Piper, right?

“Well, Leo talks about you all the time... I think. Are you the one who threw the books at him?” Piper’s expression was a little less strained, though her hands were still shaking a little.

Calypso groaned. She dropped her head on the table, having picked up the habit from Nico. It was surprisingly satisfying, being in the self pity department for a bit. “He deserved it! He pushed the display onto the ground! He’s obnoxious and loud and annoying…” She mumbled into her sleeve, knowing full well that she sounded like a petulant child but not caring in the slightest.

Piper chuckled, taking a sip of her coffee.

“I think he basically says the same things about you. Aside from the display part.” She hummed a little to herself. “I think he's having fun though.”

“How nice. For him,” Calypso grunted, pouring as much contempt as she could into her words. She thought briefly about the annoying boy, who seemed to be able to get on her nerves better than anyone else with his loud voice and rough manners and stupid jokes and stupid smile and...

Okay, that was probably enough.

“He's annoying.” She added just because.

“Maybe, but he's a good person. Deep down,” Piper added after glancing at her. “Please don't ban him from here though, it gives the rest of us some peace and quiet.”

Calypso only raised an eyebrow and dropped her face onto her palm. Suddenly she felt her phone vibrate and knew it was Hazel. Instead of responding, Calypso sighed and let her thoughts drift. She supposed she should've been filling the silence with some kind of conversation, but she had no idea what topics were safe and which weren’t. 

Nico was right, people's thoughts too loud sometimes. 

Piper's anxiety kept spiking as Calypso considered which topics she could use to start a conversation (which weren’t very numerous, honestly). She saw Piper’s lips tremble again, and she desperately wished for Hazel to hurry up.

In the meantime, Calypso wasn't going to just watch the poor girl struggle, so she gently reached over and gripped her shoulder reassuringly. 

“Hey,” she said, admittedly not quite sure what words could do, since she was a stranger and didn't know the whole situation. Piper kept her gaze on the table, but Calypso continued anyway. “You’re gonna be all right.” As she said this, she realized how true the words were. For some reason, she was sure that Piper would be fine, that whatever was weighting her down would disappear soon. She let some confidence filter through her voice. “Hazel will be here soon, and you'll be fine, okay?” She rubbed Piper's shoulder gently, feeling the girl lean forward.

“It's…” Piper's voice broke a little, and Calypso knew she was about two seconds away from crying. “It's not me I'm worried about...” She hiccuped a little, and Calypso got out of her seat to wrap her arms around Piper's shoulders. Was there anything she could do? Maybe...

“Piper?!” Hazel's voice rang from downstairs at the same time the doorbell rang, and Piper's hiccups finally turned into fully fledged sobbing.

“In here!” Calypso answered, not that there was any need. Hazel ran up the stairs and was there in a flash. Calypso stepped away just in time to let Hazel hug her friend and slip an arm around her shoulders. She brushed stray strands of hair away from Piper’s face as Piper clung to Hazel's arm and muttered apologies into the wool of her sleeve. Hazel kneeled down next to her seat. 

“None of that, okay? I'm here now. Hey, look at me. Piper.” Piper finally lifted her beautifully strange colored eyes to Hazel's face as she tried to contain her sobs. “I'm sorry I didn't answer your calls earlier. What happened? Shh, calm down, it’s ok. Talk to me.” Hazel's voice was soft and low, and Calypso started to think that maybe she should leave the room, but Piper seemed to have forgotten about her completely. 

Piper opened her mouth once, only to suck in a harsh breath, and it took her a couple more tries to finally find her voice again. “It's... it's my d-dad, he... he d-disappeared.” Piper lifted her hands to her head, tears pouring down her face. “Hazel, he's g-gone missing! What do I do?! W-what-”

Hazel gently cradled her friend in her arms, muttering incoherent reassurances into her hair, but she sent Calypso a knowing look. 

Calypso remained stunned for a second, but she quickly nodded and pulled out her phone. She hesitated for a moment before sending a text to Hestia.

***Nico***

Nico felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He fished it out of his pocket, only to stare blankly at the lock screen for a minute.

“Nico?”

Reyna was looking at him like that again. With searching eyes and a frown and Nico just really needed her to understand that he was fine. As fine as he could be, anyway. He glanced back at his phone until Reyna's voice brought him out of his mind again.

“Nico? What is it?”

“Nothing.”

“...Then why aren't you unlocking your phone?” she asked, leaning on the kitchen counter. Nico deliberately avoided her eyes.

“... I don't remember how.”

A few seconds passed without Reyna saying anything, so he looked over at her. She was staring at her hands crossed next to her cup, and she bit her lip worryingly.

“I'll do it later,” Nico added awkwardly as he slipped the phone back into his pocket.

“Are you like that because of what you did at my house?”

“...Maybe.” Nico rubbed his neck and leaned a little on the counter. “I'll be better tomorrow.”

“I take it this has happened before.” Reyna turned her cup in her hand, seemingly deep in thought. “Do you always do that kind of thing? Deal with ghosts and haunted houses?”

“It's not always houses,” Nico answered. “But yeah, usually with Hestia. Why?”

“I want to help.” 

Nico's jaw dropped a little, and Reyna smirked at his expression. “You solved my problem, so I need to pay you back.”

“People don't usually pay us back.”

“Well, even more reason for me to do it.” Reyna frowned slightly again. “I know I don't have the same abilities as you, but if you think of something I can do, just tell me.”

Nico almost turned her down again because the whole idea was just ridiculous. People just didn't offer him their help like that, and she was taking everything way too well. Maybe Reyna was just that ridiculously strong and righteous, but that didn't make it fair to implicate her any further. 

But then Nico remembered Jason, and the rejection died on his tongue. He turned the idea over in his head, studying it for a few moments. He didn’t like that Reyna was just an innocent bystander, but this could be a chance. He had to take it.

“You're friends with Jason, right?”

Reyna tilted her head a little, clearly not expecting this question, but her answer was calm and composed. It took a lot to rattle her.

“Yes, we've been friends for a long time. Why?” She leaned forward a little, interested. “Actually, haven’t you two been getting closer recently?”

“No… not really. Actually, he's got the same kind of problem you did.” Worry spread across Reyna's face, and Nico was quick to backpedal. “Not at his house. But he is haunted. I made the spirit go away for a while, but it's back again, and I can't really exorcise him without him noticing.”

Nico said that last part with a tired voice. He knew that if it was anyone else, he would have just dealt with the ghost even if there was a risk he might scare the person away. But this was someone from his school, who he had to see almost every day, so it was a problem. And it was Jason. Even if Nico didn't really want to linger on this particular thought, he kind of liked spending time with Jason. Thus, he couldn’t solve this on his own. 

“Jason...” Reyna stared at her lap and then raised her head again. “He seems fine though.”

“It's not really noticeable yet. Maybe he’s just feeling sick or tired right now. But it’ll go on, and he'll start having small accidents, a streak of bad luck… And then a streak of really bad luck. Like, falling off a cliff bad.”

“What can I do then?”

“I... I'm not sure.” Nico kept his head in his hands, feeling... weird. Why was he talking about this again? Why was he talking at all? He should have stayed in bed. “I don't how to do this without him noticing anything.”

Reyna tapped her lips lightly a few times before nodding to herself. 

“Okay. Just tell me what you need, and I'll help. Besides, Jason can be pretty dense sometimes. It might just be easier than you think.”

Before he knew it, Nico found himself smiling back at Reyna.

***Jason***

When Jason was back at school the next day, there still wasn't any sign of Piper, but at least he had been warned this time. Though admittedly he wasn't sure how he felt about this.

“You really think she’s just out with a cold, Cap?” Leo was walking beside him in the parking lot, toying with the worn out ends of his sleeves.

“Honestly.... not at all. But she'll talk to us if she really needs to.” Jason tried to keep his worry at bay, even though he wanted nothing more than to go check on Piper and see for himself if she was alright. But he also knew that pushing her to talk wasn't the right thing to do. She'd probably bring up every reason why that wasn't okay and why he was such a disrespectful human being, and it would just end badly. 

So for now Jason was going to focus on school and try to forget about this. Not that it was easy with Leo muttering in rapid Spanish at his side.

“Leo...” Jason heaved, exasperated.

Leo simply gestured aimlessly at him, and went up the stairs to his class. Jason just shook his head and walked over to his locker, wondering how low his grades would sink if he stayed this distracted. Probably really low. His father wouldn’t appreciate it at all, and neither would his step mother. It almost made him sick just thinking about it. 

Jason reached his locker, but just as he got his books for his morning classes, Drew materialized on the locker next to his.

“Hi there, Captain. You left the party way too early, you know. I was waiting for you.” She spoke with a lazy smile, reeking of expensive perfume and letting her hair fall over her shoulder. Jason wasn't in the mood for this, he never was really, but he forced a polite smile on his face and turned to look down at her.

“Hi Drew. And sorry, but I had to take care of something.”

“Oh yeah, I heard, the boys were at it again.” She nodded knowingly, and Jason wondered for the first time whether she had as much trouble managing the cheerleaders as he had with the football team. “So that's why I thought of something, to make up for lost time. We're going out with some guys from the team this weekend, and you should definitely come with.”

Jason's felt his insides turn cold when he remembered the last time he saw his team, and his voice came out harsher than he intended.

“Some guys? Who?”

“Dakota, Michael, and Bryce,” Drew counted on her fingers. “Some of my girls are coming too. Come on, it'll be fun! And isn't team bonding important?”

Jason tried to make up some generic excuse, but then again Dakota and Michael were decent people, and maybe keeping an eye on Bryce would be wise.

“Okay, I'll come.”

“Great!” Drew clapped her hands together in delight and scurried away as someone called her, leaving Jason alone to consider what he'd just done. Leo was going to call him an idiot again. And he would honestly deserve it. But before that, he needed to get through his classes for the day.

Jason managed to stay pretty focused for the first hour or so, but the next was a lost cause. His thoughts drifted to Piper again, then to the football team, then to Nico. He wanted to talk to him again. Not about anything important, just talk. He'd say something stupid, and Nico would give him one of his sarcastic comebacks with a smirk, and Jason would pretend to be offended, when really...

Jason couldn't remember a single thing about the class.

He left class in a daze and started towards the cafeteria, only to remember that this was stupid. Nico liked quiet places, so he tried the entrance of the school and other spots outside. After circling the school a few times, he was definitely confused. Surely even Nico wasn't that hard to find?

Jason shook his head and turned around, thinking that maybe he wasn't eating and was just holed up in the library or something.

“Jason!”

He turned around to see Reyna, running over to him with her hair in a ponytail instead of her usual braid.

“Hey Reyna!”

“I saw you pass through here at least four times, what are you doing?” She stopped in front of him and crossed her arms as a small smile tugged at her lips.

“Just looking for someone. Have you seen Nico anywhere?”

“He's not at school.” Reyna tilted her head as Jason stared back at her. “He's been absent since yesterday.”

“I didn't know.” It took a moment before Jason realized what was off and frowned at his friend. “How do you know?”

“Because he told me when I visited him.” If he didn't know better, he'd think that Reyna was happy about confusing him. She probably wasn't though. Hopefully.

“Okay... Sorry, I just, I didn't think you knew him.”

Reyna was looking at him weirdly with that focused look on her face, but it cleared away before he could ask if something was wrong, and she nodded at him.

“You should visit him. I'm sure he'd be happy.”

Jason made a face at her.

“Do you really know him?”

“I'm serious. Here, I'll text you the adress.”

Before he registered what was happening, Jason had an adrress penned on his hand and a pat on the back. He opened his mouth to say something, but by then Reyna had said goodbye and run off. He sighed. At the very least, he knew that he couldn't just show at Nico's house unannounced, or else he'd probably get a door slammed in his face. So after what felt like an hour of debating with himself, Jason decided to text Nico.

_-Hey, Nico!  
Is it okay if I stop by after school?-_

Such a simple text, but Jason stared at it like the words had personally offended him somehow, and then he couldn't help but check his phone every two minutes after hitting "send." Classes felt more like an eternity. But just as Jason was heading to practice, his phone vibrated, and he saw an answer from Nico. In his excitement, he almost walked into a locker in the changing room as he checked his phone.

_-Sure-_

What was that supposed to mean? How could one word be so ominous? Was he pissed or not? Jason did his best, but he was a mess at practice, messing up simple moves he could usually do in his sleep. He was just lucky that his team was probably still a little too scared to confront him about it. Bryce hadn't skipped practice, surprisingly, but for once he was doing his best to blend in the background.

It felt like ten years had passed before coach called time and Jason was able to shower and run out of the locker room. Before he knew it, he was back at the school entrance with his car keys in one hand and his phone in the other, trying to set up his GPS. He thought again about the day Nico had driven him home, and about the small keychain he had had since that day, but he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. Nico probably got sick because of that night in the cemetery. Jason should have offered to drive him back to his house or at least somewhere warm. 

Well, he at least could check on him. Besides, he was still a little worried that Nico would stop talking to him altogether, so this was a good oportunity. Jason carefully pulled out of the parking lot and followed his phone's map to Nico's house, wondering what kind of place he would find.


	17. Chapter 17

***Jason***

Jason didn’t really remember the whole trip to Nico's house, but he was very aware of the moment he stood before Nico’s house and looked up at the front door. The place was more of a manor than a house, really. It was at least three stories high with elaborate windows and a darkly colored roof that undoubtedly scared people away at night. Jason almost expected the doorbell to be a human skull, rather than the regular white button that it actually was.

Squaring his shoulders, Jason gathered his courage and rang it. However, as soon as he pressed it, he wondered: who would answer the door? Hazel rarely came straight home, and what if Nico was sleeping or too sick to move or...

“Yes? What do you want?”

Jason stared up at the man leaning against the door frame for at least a good ten seconds. It was like looking at a carbon copy of Nico, except older. For some reason, it hadn't occurred to Jason that Nico's parents would be here. He had seen the parents of almost all of his friends at some point, but never Nico's. The similarity was uncanny. 

They both had the same pale skin, the same inky black hair, even the same dark circles under the same dark eyes. His father kept his hair long too, longer than his son's even, and kept it tied in a loose ponytail. Most notably, he had the same scary aura as Nico, albeit ten times stronger. 

Jason could feel his default polite face slipping as he held out his hand. Hopefully not sounding as nervous as he felt, Jason said, “Hello sir, I'm Jason. Nice to meet you.”

The man blinked at him before slowly taking his hand.

“Hades. But your name doesn’t tell me who you are or what you want.” He had a surprisingly strong grip for such an apathetic looking man. Jason winced at his dry tone.

“I’m Nico’s friend. I came to see him because he missed school…?” Yet again, his answer had ended in a question. Jason felt a slight bit of déjà vu.

Hades' eyebrows shot up to his hairline, and he seemed stunned into silence for a moment before stepping aside.

“Well that's... nice. I suppose. You can come in.” Hades emphasized the word 'you,' and Jason instinctively looked over his shoulder to see if he could have been referring to anyone else. Oddly, Hades continued to glare at the door even after it was closed. Jason cleared his throat.

“Um...”

“Up the stairs, first room on the left. If you upset him, you can consider yourself a trespasser and let yourself out immediately.” Hades spoke with a clipped tone and walked away, disappearing into a hallway and leaving Jason to stand alone in the entryway.

Jason took a moment to look around from where he was. The living room had large windows that were framed by heavy dark curtains, soft carpeted floors that absorbed the sound of his steps, and strangely shaped vases with a variety of flowers that were scattered here and there. The atmosphere was strange, and a little heavy. It reminded him a little of the graveyard and a lot of Nico.

Jason made his way over to the stairs, but before he could begin climbing them, something collided into the back of his legs, barking loudly.

“Whoa!” Jason practically jumped out of his skin for a second, but the dog simply nudged at his hand and wagged her tail when Jason pet her hesitantly. “You're a pretty friendly dog, huh? Aren't you worried about strangers?”

The dog simply tilted her head before barking once more and scampering up the stairs. Once up there, she stopped and sat, looking at Jason expectantly. 

“Are you showing me the way?” Jason asked with an easy smile, relaxing a little at the unexpected friendliness of the pet. She was just as he remembered her from that night when he saw her with Nico.

Once he caught up, Jason looked down at the second floor, taking note of the other set of stairs going up and of the number of doors ahead of him. The dog stopped in front of the first door on the left and started to bark loudly as she pushed herself up against it and started scratching at the door. Jason almost laughed until he remembered that Nico was sick and probably tired.

“Wait, come on, hush girl…” Jason patted her head and scratched her neck, not quite sure what he was doing, but somehow still managing to calm the dog down. 

As she settled for sitting back and staring at the door, Jason took a breath and knocked. He waited ten, thirty, sixty seconds, but heard nothing in response. Somehow he hadn't considered that. Should he just go back? He didn't really want to disturb Nico if he was resting. Jason wiped his palms on his jeans and saw that the dog was attacking the door with her claws again, but now she was looking at him while doing it. 

“Fine, I get it, I'll let you in...” _And me too, I guess._

Jason couldn't deny the curiosity gnawing at his mind as he pushed the door open.

The dog went in happily, bouncing up and down while Jason hesitated to follow.

Looking around, he wasn’t surprised by the dark colors that greeted him, but he took a moment to survey the contents of the room. To his right was a bookshelf, overflowing with books that had to either be stacked on top or spilled onto the ground in neat piles. Next to it was a small TV with a few consoles hooked up to it, and on the other side of the room was a column of small shelves hovering over a desk– which was covered in books and papers that took up any space not already claimed by the computer. 

Jason's gaze lingered on the papers. Some of them were clearly class notes, but others were drawings of complex figures that reminded him of something, though he wasn't sure what. There were lots of posters and similar drawings on the walls.

“Jason?”

Jason's head whipped around to the bed, and where he met Nico's eyes. He was sitting on his bed with a book in his hands and a pair of headphones around his neck. He was practically swimming in clothes at least three sizes too big, and his hair was tied in a small ponytail again. At first Jason was surprised to see him awake and alert, but he was also clearly recovering from something. The bags under his eyes seemed even darker, and he looked exhausted.

Still, his glare was as effective as usual, and Jason waved awkwardly from the door.

“Hi Nico.” He tried to smile, but his expression wavered under the other boy's gaze.

“What are you doing here?” Nico asked, narrowing his eyes.

“I heard you were sick.”

“And?” Nico snapped his book shut and sighed after a second, seeming to curl in on himself. “And stop hovering over there, you can come in.”

Jason forced himself to take a deep breath before he went to sit on the edge of the bed, watching how Nico pulled his knees to his chest and held out a hand out to his dog, who whined quietly and persistently nudged his side. After a moment, Nico finally changed his position and sat cross-legged so that the dog could rest on his lap as he ran his fingers through her fur. 

“Is it okay for her to get on the furniture?” Jason asked, simultaneously raising an eyebrow at the sight and smiling at it.

“Why not? It's my bed, and I say it’s ok.” Nico sent him a stern look, and Jason felt his smile widen just a little. Nico scratched his dog behind the ears before sighing loudly. “It was Reyna, wasn't it?”

“What?”

“She told you to come here.”

“Maybe,” Jason answered with a frown. “I didn't know you two were friends.” Though come to think of it, she had mentioned him at the party...

Nico just shrugged, clearly not bothered. “We're not... friends, exactly. I mean, you know her a lot better than I do.” Nico hung his head a little, his bangs covering his expression. His hands stilled, and his dog whined a little.

And Jason... Well, Jason wasn't sure what to think. Nico was usually a lot more confident. Without thinking, Jason reached for the dog's head and scratched her behind the ear, trying to do it like Nico had earlier. Sure enough, the dog wagged her tail happily and made a low breathy noise in response.

“Okay, don't laugh at me, but what was her name again?” Jason asked, feeling heat creep into his neck and face when Nico didn't answer right away. When Jason raised his head, Nico was simply staring back at him. “Come on, I remember it was ridiculous, but it was late!”

“It's not ridiculous,” Nico responded automatically, a small smile tugging at his lips. “And it's Ms. O'Leary.” Jason gave him a pointed look, and Nico shrugged again, the tension leaving his shoulders. “In my defense, I didn't choose it.”

“Hazel?”

“Nah. I’m kind of surprised that was the image you got of her.” Nico gazed at the dog for a second before continuing. “Her previous owner did.”

Jason raised a questioning eyebrow, but Nico simply gazed thoughtfully at the dog in his lap before looking up again, his eyes piercing and searching. Jason was frozen to the spot, and he knew his face must have showed it because Nico immediately huffed out a laugh.

“Am I really that scary?”

“Not at all.” Jason chose to look over at the desk again, since that was the safest option, and then he remembered. These drawings looked kind of like the pattern weaved on the keychain Nico gave him. He wasn’t really sure whether it was okay to bring that up or not, so he pointed at the stack of papers. “What are those?”

“Drawings. Hazel did them.” Nico tugged at his sleeves. “Why?”

“Just curious.” Jason forced his eyes to face Nico again and smiled a little. “Question: Just how many books did you steal from the book shop?” 

Nico crossed his arms and huffed indignantly. “I didn’t steal anything. Those are my paychecks.”

“Wait, you’re paid in books?” Jason’s eyes widened a little at the thought.

“Not really. But when I want a book that we have in stock, my boss just deduces the price from my pay. Or, well, half the price usually.” Nico leaned forward, resting his hands on his ankles. “I get tons of old novels like that. Most people don’t buy them, and they end up in the back anyway. Like, everyone knows who Sherlock Holmes is, but no one ever buys the books. Their loss.” 

Jason gazed at the bookshelf again and noticed that most of the books had used covers and damaged spines. He wondered what other stories were there.

“You really like reading.” 

“Wow Sherlock, how’d you figure that out?”

“Oh, shut up!” Jason got up and went to look at the first few rows of books. “Would you stop talking to me if I told you that I’d never read a Sherlock Holmes book either?”

“Ugh. Jocks.” Nico sounded so profoundly disgusted that Jason laughed. He turned his head to answer but was surprised to find Nico standing right next to him.

Does he ever make any sound?

Nico raked his eyes over the novels in his collection, completely focused on his task while Jason watched in fascination. He was really the strangest boy Jason had ever met. One second he was just a normal boy, maybe on the small side, snarky and smart, and then the next the next thing Jason knew, he was with an adult in the wrong body. Right now he was more of that first one, with his oversized sweatpants and messy hair curling around his neck. Jason didn’t realize he was staring until Nico moved again.

Nico leaned forward and with little effort and managed to free a book from the middle shelf. Surprisingly, none of the others fell out, despite how tightly packed they were. Nico then turned to Jason and held it out to him.

“Here. It’s not the first Sherlock Holmes book chronologically, but it’s the first one I read. Like a lot of people, actually.”

Jason looked down at the red cover. “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” he read out loud. The words sounded familiar somehow. “I think I know that title from somewhere.”

Nico shrugged and sat back on his bed. “There were a lot of adaptations.”

Jason shifted on his feet. “Is it really okay? To borrow it, I mean.”

“Sure.” Nico smirked at him. “Well, if you actually want to read it, of course.”

“You know your condescending comments are getting old, di Angelo.” When Nico’s expression didn’t change, Jason frowned. “I do like to read! I just don’t have enough time. I’m surprised you do, honestly.” Jason gestured to mountain of books, and when he looked back at Nico, he saw that his face was now carefully neutral. “Nico?”

“I have a lot of free time, I guess.” Nico touched a ring on his hand, and Jason couldn’t tear his gaze away as he turned it on his finger. Nico always wore long sleeves, and usually Jason looked at his face to try and read him (the key word being try), so he never really noticed it. The plain steel ring with a skull on it. 

“Um...” Jason swallowed the lump in his throat. This was familiar too, Nico closing himself off and pushing him away when he asked the wrong thing. But Jason still had a little more to say, so he slowly went to sit down on the bed next to Nico, rubbing at his neck. “Okay, so, I wanted to talk to you about something.” Nico gestured for him to continue, so Jason took a breath and resolved to say what was on his mind. “Look, I know sometimes I can be a little, I don't know, insensitive I guess, and if I say or do something that makes you uncomfortable, just tell me, okay?”

Nico’s deadpan was pretty impressive.“Really?”

“Of course! I mean…”

“Jason…” Nico sighed, rubbing his head with a frown on his face. “You don’t have to apologize for anything and everything, okay? I’m not exactly a social butterfly, and I know I’m hard to get along with. You’re not responsible for everything that happens around you, and you have the right to be tired of me.”

“I’m not!” Jason pressed his lips together before he said anything else.

_But I want to ask you so many things._

_What about that keychain?_

_What happened with my team?_

_Why were Calypso and Hestia talking about me?_

_What happened between you and Percy?_

_Why am I so curious about you?_

“Really?” Nico’s tone was full of sarcasm, and Jason felt just a little bit of annoyance flare up. 

“Why did my team go after you like that?” Nico’s eyes widened a little and darted to the side before focusing on Jason’s face again.

“That’s none of your business.”

“It’s my team, so it kind of is. The teachers look at us as a whole. If one of us screws up, all of us are in trouble.” Jason crossed his arms. “You know, since we're a team and all.”

“Always the perfect captain, huh? If you wanna know so bad, then go and ask Octavian!” Nico spat out, and for a moment Jason was stunned into silence.

“Octavian?” Jason said when he found his voice. Nico looked down stubbornly, and Jason laughed. He actually laughed, a nervous reaction that he couldn’t back, and Nico regarded him warily. “Sorry, sorry, it just… makes sense, I guess.” Jason buried his face in his hands for a minute before looking up again.

“If you’re gonna have a nervous breakdown on my bed, you kind of owe me an explanation, Grace.” Nico’s tone was light, but his gaze was heavy, and Jason nodded.

“Well, that just goes against your claim that not everything is my fault.” Nico frowned immediately, and Jason averted his eyes. “Did you know that Reyna used to be the student council president?”

“Yeah, last year right?”

Jason nodded. “And the year before. She’s impressive, you know, always has been, and she managed to get the teachers’ and the students’ approval within her first few weeks of school. She managed the track team and the student council and still had amazing grades.”

“Does she ever get tired?” Nico wondered out loud.

“Actually, yeah. Most people didn’t see it, but to her friends, it was obvious she couldn’t go on like that. So she decided to quit student council for her last year to focus on her exams and university.” Jason paused for a moment, not sure why he was getting into more personal ground now. Maybe it was because he wanted Nico to open up too. Maybe it was to gain his trust. “At first, she wanted me to step up and take her place.”

“That’s kinda shitty…” Nico muttered under his breath. Jason turned to him, surprised, and Nico shrugged. “Well, you’re in the same situation, right? You’re the captain of a team, and you have your exams and college apps this year too.”

“Yeah, but…” Jason rubbed his arm, feeling a little sick. It reminded him of the time he broke up with Piper. He knew deep down that what Nico said made sense, but it also made him feel so guilty that he wanted to throw up. “I wanted to quit the team.”

“Really?” Nico’s eyes widened, but when he saw the face Jason was making, his tone softened. “Why didn’t you then?”

“I can’t, I guess,” Jason sighed. “I’ve known most of these guys since middle school, and all they talked about last summer was how this last year was gonna be the best, and how the team would win everything and graduate in glory or something.” Jason actually smiled at the memory, remembering Dakota standing on a table and waving his arms around as his friends tried to get him down.

“Sorry, I just, I don’t get it. You don’t like football?”

“It’s not that I don’t like it, but it’s just a sport. It’s not my top priority, and I could honestly go on without it. But the other guys on the team aren’t like that. A lot of them actually want a scholarship.” Jason felt the bed dip a little at his side as Mrs.O’Leary sank soundly into the sheet next to him, her large, dark eyes fixed on his face. Jason just put his hand on her back and let it rest there. “It wouldn’t be fair to let them down now.”

“It’s not fair for you to continue doing something you don’t want to do.” Nico seemed to mull over a thought before speaking up again. “But I still don’t see why that makes Octavian your fault.”

“Reyna knew he wanted her seat, and that he had a lot of teachers in his pocket. She wanted me to take her place because she knew he couldn’t win against me. But since I hesitated and said no in the end, he took her place.” Jason lightly scratched the dog’s fur. “I don’t know him that well, so I didn’t know what kind of person he was or why Reyna didn’t want him there, but I’m guessing it’s bad?”

Nico sighed dramatically. “You have no idea. Don’t worry though, I’m pretty sure he won’t bother you if you had a chance to take what he wanted but didn’t. He won’t provoke you.”

“He’s bothering you though.” Jason’s voice became cold and hard. He was still feeling guilty, but now that he was starting to see the bigger picture, maybe he could actually do something. But as he considered that idea, Nico slapped his shoulder. Hard. “Hey!”

“I’m not a damsel in distress, Grace, I can take care of myself. Before worrying about me, you should sort out your own problems.”

“I can’t tell if you’re being nice or mean.” Jason rubbed his arm and frowned at the boy, who simply shrugged again with his signature smirk.

“Neither. I’m just being honest.”

And there wasn’t much Jason could answer to that.

***Hazel***

Hazel shivered a little and crossed her arms tightly across her chest in an attempt to shield herself from the wind. Her phone buzzed a few times in her pocket, but she ignored it easily. It was probably Frank. She had much bigger problems on her mind.

Currently, Hazel was standing in front of the old mall. It was in a part of town that had been pretty much deserted by people, with many buildings having been replaced by factories. The mall– which was decrepit and held up by cracked, dirty walls– was one of the few places that remained. Some windows were blocked, and others were just broken.

Hazel tentatively took a step towards it and immediately frowned. This was probably the right place.

She still remembered how desperate and lost Piper had been when she saw her at the shop. Her father had apparently wanted to surprise her by coming home a few weeks earlier to spend some time together, but he had only told his agent, and he’d disappeared somewhere along on the way. Because it had been a secret, no one had noticed him missing for the first few days.

Hazel clenched her hands into fists. As soon as she got Piper to calm down, she walked her home and decided to look for Piper's father herself. Already she had a bad feeling about it. A really bad one. She’d tried to ask the cards, but she couldn't find a clear answer no matter how many times she tried. After a day, the only thing she managed to find was the mall.

Hazel reached for the building, and she felt a familiar pressure in the air, as if it suddenly had a weight.

“The mist...”

There wasn't a universal term for it. Some people called it a veil, or a cloak, or referred to it with a broader term: witchcraft. Hazel recognized it at first glance. Even if she couldn't see spirits like other people in her family, that didn't mean she was defenseless around them.

Hazel took another step towards the building, searching the front for anything out of place, but it simply looked like an old abandoned building from the outside. She would have to go in to find out more, but that probably wasn’t the smartest course of action. Still, she didn't need to go far. She just wanted to confirm her feeling that this was the right place. 

Hazel made her way over to one of the doors and tried the handle, but it didn't budge at all. She tried at least three others before she found a back door that had been left open. 

Or not. Upon closer inspection, she found that the lock had been completely busted. Hazel pushed the door cautiously and went in, looking around warily. Because of all the condemned windows, it was a lot darker inside, so she took out the little flashlight on her keys. 

Hazel carefully stepped over the mess on the floor – old boxes, planks, ragged clothing – and searched the walls for a map of the place. She was in a room once used by the employees of the mall, so there had to be one somewhere. But before she could even start searching, Hazel felt a chill go down her spine. She stilled and looked up at the other door of the room, the one that led further into the mall. 

The handle moved.

Slowly, it shakily jerked down. The movement wasn't smooth or defined, but it was enough to confirm what Hazel had been thinking. She could almost feel the intent on her skin, pressed against her ears and skull.

Go away.

Clear as day. Hazel didn't wait for the entity to come in. She promptly turned around and left, already reaching into her pocket for her phone. Her hands were slightly shaking, but she told herself that it was because of the sudden cold, and she could almost believe it. She had her finger over the call button, but she stopped short of calling.

Hazel remembered her brother passed out, and then practically catatonic, staring into nothing. She didn't like the idea of putting more stress on him, but she also knew that he would come anyway if she did something stupid behind his back.

With a shaky exhale, she started the call and was incredibly relieved when Nico answered on the first ring, sounding like himself again.

“Hazel? What is it?”

“I think I need your help.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is this ? A fast update ? *^*
> 
> I have no idea if I'll be able to keep this up, but enjoy for now !

***Nico***

Nico eyed the old mall with barely hidden disgust. “What happened here?” He could already feel a headache coming. He was pretty sure no one would walk up to this place by mistake. If he wasn’t already so used to spirits, this aura would’ve driven him away a long time ago.

“Witchcraft,” Hazel muttered at his side, punctuating her sentence with a big yawn and managing to look both pissed off and sleepy at the same time. They had decided to come pretty early in the morning after all.

Nico smiled and tugged at her purple scarf until it covered her chin. Hazel weakly batted his hands away but kept the fabric there, burying her nose in it. Nico turned back to the building and tried to focus on it, but just looking at it was enough to make his head pound.

“This… was definitely not here before.” Nico rubbed at his eyes, checking his phone and groaning when he saw the time. “Anyway, time for school.”

“You could stay home a little longer you know. Maybe hold an actual conversation with dad.” Hazel looped her arm through his, and they started walking towards the nearest bus stop. She was only mildly glaring at him, so Nico could ignore that last jab.

“So, you think this place has something to do with your friend’s dad?” Yeah, he was dodging, but this was one of his least favorite subjects.

“I’m sure of it.” She nodded, furrowing her brow. Nico maneuvered them around obstacles while Hazel considered her next words. “Besides, even if it doesn’t, someone cursed the building.”

“I guess. I’ll talk to Hestia after school.” Well, he would try anyway. Hestia liked to disappear a lot these days.

Hazel nodded, and they hurried to the stop as the bus arrived. The ride was quiet, and Nico put his headphones on to try to get rid of the white noise in his head while Hazel scrolled through some app on her phone. They both got off at school and parted ways in front of the gate, after Hazel patted her brother’s hair down with a smile.

Nico looked up for a few minutes, wondering why he was even up when the sun had barely risen, and he sighed as he went in. The school was strangely creepy without students roaming the corridors and teachers’ voices echoing off the walls. It was almost like a totally different place. Nico enjoyed the quiet immensely, even humming with satisfaction as he walked towards the fields. He went back to scowling pretty fast when he was out in the cold air again, but nevertheless continued until he reached the bleachers. He didn’t sit in them though. Instead he circumvented them until he could see the track team running laps. Well, half of it. The other half was stretching on the side with Reyna.

Nico waited until he caught her eye to give her a small wave before leaning against the railing behind him with his phone out. He was pretty sure some people on the team had given him weird looks, but he was too sleepy to care. Instead, he tried to call Hestia (again) and failed. Again. It was annoying, but he was also expecting it. He ended up sending a few texts to Calypso to ask her if she wanted help out at the shop that day. At the very least, she was talking to him normally now, though she was still a little shaken from the events at Reyna’s old house. Nico wasn’t worried though. She just needed some time to get back on her feet.

“Hello Nico.” 

Nico raised his head sharply, surprised to find the team leaving the field already. 

“Hi Reyna... I thought I was early.” He looked around, and sure enough, a few girls on his right were clearly glaring at him, though he wasn’t sure what for. Stealing their captain away? Being there during their training? Existing? Nico rubbed his head, sighing.

“You okay?” Reyna said, peering at his face and looking concerned. Nico forced himself to nod. “Alright then… If you’re up for it, I have a thermos of coffee waiting for us in my locker.”

“That sounds great.” Nico’s shoulders relaxed a little, and he followed Reyna back to the main building. While she got changed, he waited at her locker and finally got a text back from Hestia.

‘We’ll deal with the mall this week end. I have other matters to attend to right now. Stay clear of trouble until then.’

‘Sure. Do I need to tell Hazel and Calypso?’

‘I already did.’

Nico huffed a laugh. Hestia was as efficient as always. Still, Nico wondered what was taking up so much of her time these days. He knew her visions were wavering these days, but that happened from time to time (usually because of a strong spirit messing around), and she never seemed overly concerned. However, if someone was using witchcraft, someone that they didn’t know, then she had enough reasons to worry.

“Not used to getting up so early?” Reyna asked as she came up to him, now wearing a purple sweater and black jeans with her usual braid on her shoulder and looking as fierce and alert as ever. She quickly opened her locker and got the blessed thermos, offering a cup to Nico, who gladly accepted with a hum. She gestured to him, and they went to sit against a wall, both silent for a few moments.

“So, should I thank you for sending Jason to my house unexpectedly?” Nico finally asked dryly, trying not to sound too bitter.

“I’m pretty sure he warned you. He wouldn’t come without asking you first.” Well, he had sent a text before, but Nico had been pretty out of it, so that should be taken into consideration too. “And besides, weren’t you happy to see him?” Damn that sly smile.

“That’s not the point.” Nico pouted above his cup.

“Are there other urgent spirit problems to solve?” Reyna drummed her fingers on the side of the thermos, but stopped when Nico didn’t answer right away. “Wait, there are?”

“Kind of.” Nico rubbed his hands together, trying to fight the chill that had been rooted deep in his bones since this morning. “It’s not a spirit per se, but it’s a haunted place. Kind of like your house.” Nico turned a little to see Reyna deep in thought. She watched her drink swirl in her cup before raising her head abruptly to look Nico in the eye. “Um…”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure…?”

“Is there a way for me, or anyone, to see spirits too?”

Nico frowned, not sure where this was going, but somehow still not liking it anyway. Reyna was looking straight at him though, so he tried to keep his expression neutral.

“Not that I know of. Though being aware of their existence is already something.”

“Meaning?” Reyna leaned towards him a little, her hair slipping over her shoulder.

“Things like premonitions, bad feelings, déjà vu… everyone has them to some degree, but most people don’t know how to tell when they’re legitimate. People like you, who know about spirits, tend to have those more, the more they learn about and feel spirits. I think. I’m not exactly an expert on that kind of thing.” Reyna nodded after a second and leaned her head against the wall. “How come? I mean, it’s not exactly fun to see all that.”

Reyna set her thermos down next to her leg, running her fingers over the metallic edge absentmindedly. She opened her mouth once, tried to speak, and then closed it again. Nico put down his cup next her’s and rubbed his arms awkwardly.

“Can I go with you?”

“What? Go where?”

“To that haunted place. You’re going, right?” Reyna lifted an eyebrow at Nico, though he had been stunned into silence. “You remember what I said, right? I want to help. And I also want to know more about spirits. Two birds with one stone, right?”

“I’m not sure this is a good idea…” Nico said cautiously. 

“I won’t slow you down, I promise. I could even help. And I’m betting that this isn’t the kind of problem that just seeing spirits would solve, right?” There wasn’t really anything Nico could say to that. “Let me come with you.”

“It won’t be fun, you know.” The unimpressed look Reyna was an answer in and of itself. “Alright… Just, don’t do anything rash, okay?”

“That’s not a habit of mine, don’t worry.” Reyna stretched her arms over her head. She looked like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and she could breathe again. Nico smiled a little in spite of himself. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.” Nico leaned back against the wall, trying to keep the smile off his face, though the look Reyna gave him said he was doing a poor job. “But it’s weird to talk about this at school with someone living.” He glanced at Reyna and saw that she was looking around.

“You say that like there are ghosts everywhere.”

“There aren’t that many. But when one decides to follow me, they follow me everywhere.” Nico mulled the thought over for a few seconds. “It’s as terrible as it sounds.”

“My condolences, I think.” Reyna grinned at him and stood up. A few people were starting to walk down the hallway, so Nico and Reyna got up and moved away without a clear destination. “So how about a lighter subject? How was Jason’s visit?”

Nico immediately glared at her, though Reyna’s face was impassible. “It was fine.”

“That’s all?” Nico could almost hear the smile in her voice.

“You’re just like my sister, aren’t you?” Why was everyone suddenly hellbent on him making friends? It was starting to get ridiculous. 

“I’m going to take that as a compliment.” Reyna stopped near a stair case, a little grim. “But seriously, how was Jason?”

“He was okay. Apparently, the ghost haunting him can’t quite get past my father.” Nico let out a little laugh, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Apparently he scares spirits too.”

“That’s… good, I guess.” Reyna sighed deeply, rubbing her neck. “Look, I know I can’t really do anything about it, and it’s not fair to ask this of you, but, just, help him if you can, please? He’s a good guy. Honestly, he deserves a bit more luck the way I see it.”

“I know,” Nico answered softly, looking away from Reyna’s inquisitive eyes. “I’ll do what I can.”

“Thank you.” Reyna sounded tired as she spoke. Nico remembered what Jason had said the day before about how busy she was and wondered how much of her time she had spent worrying about her friend. Nico decided he would do whatever it took to get rid of that ghost. Even if Jason never spoke to him ever again.

The bell surprised them both, and Reyna immediately stood up straight, her features frozen in a serious expression. Nico raised an eyebrow at her, and she mirrored the gesture.

“Well? Time to get to class.”

“Sure, sure.” Nico waved at her half-heartedly, and she left with a small grin.

Nico made a quick stop at his locker and then went to his first class, hoping to pass out on his desk quietly in the back of the room. However, when he passed through the door, the first thing he saw was Will Solace, happily talking to the girl next to him. As soon as he saw Nico, he smiled his big, toothy grin and waved at him. Nico made a point of walking around his desk before going to sit in the back.

Apparently, that wasn’t enough, since Will dropped into the seat next to his a moment later.

“You’re hurting my feelings, you know.” He said with a grin, fishing for something in his bag.

“My most sincere apologies,” Nico muttered as he crossed his arms on the desk. He sat back as Will thrust a bunch of papers in his face.

“Notes from the classes you missed. Well, the ones we share at least.” Will answered.

“…Thanks.” Nico said after a moment, not sure if that was enough. He couldn’t really understand why Will was always so nice to him, and this kind of situation made him so uncomfortable that he couldn’t even speak properly. 

“No need, no need.” Will waved a hand dismissively. “Though I should probably tell you we were paired together for the literature presentation,” he said in a rush, ending the sentence with a whisper even though Nico distinctly heard every bit of it.

“What?!” Nico said that a little louder than intended, and he buried his head in his sweater when people turned to look at him.

“Well, it was either that or you would have been randomly paired with someone you’ve never spoken to. So isn’t this better?” Optimistic as always. Nico still pouted quite obviously, but he wasn’t sure he could counter that, so he just sighed. Will smiled in delight. “Alright then, here, I have the details.” 

Hazel was right. He should’ve stayed home.

***Hestia***

Hestia was walking in the dark.

It was impossible to see anything, not the floor nor the sky.

The only sound was the slow beat of her heart, which resonated throughout her skull and got louder with every step.

Still, Hestia knew she wouldn’t get lost. She couldn’t.

Sure enough, the familiar beat got louder, and stranger, becoming an uneven rhythm that got bigger and bigger until it engulfed Hestia completely.

And then she could see it unraveling before her, a trail of light in the dark. Hestia was walking along it, far but not far enough to lose it. It was a beacon, to her and surrounding spirits, and they clung to it. Merged with it. However, she couldn’t hear them. All she could hear was that strange music that resonated in her mind. 

Hestia went on, wondering where the interferences she had felt were coming from.

“Quite the meddler, aren’t you dear?”

Everything seemed to tilt the wrong side. 

The light swirled before Hestia until she couldn’t make out any pattern. The color faded and flashed without purpose, and the beat went faster and faster until it thrummed against her eardrums. Hestia screamed, but the noise was instantly drowned out.

_Wake up wake up wake up wakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeup_

“!!”

Hestia woke up sweating and breathing hard in the back of her car. The pillow she had placed under her head did nothing for the stiffness in her neck, as it had slipped under the front seat at some point. She sat up slowly, feeling like there was something sitting heavily on her lungs. 

“That was… unpleasant.”

That was an understatement. The situation was far worse than she'd imagined. Obviously this wasn’t just the work of roaming spirits. Someone was behind this.

Hestia sat against the window and spent a few minutes weighing her options. This was a delicate situation. Hazel had talked about witchcraft, then there was Reyna’s old house, with a ghost far more powerful than he had any business being, and of course there was Jason's case…

One problem at a time.

Hestia couldn’t be everywhere at once, but she could probably do something for Zeus’ son. Then she could look into the mall. And then…

Hestia sighed. Then Nico would have to step in. She couldn’t investigate any further today, she had reached her farthest limit. Only Nico could go further. Though just thinking about it, Hestia felt guilty. She had already asked enough of him. Throwing him at some unknown opponent wasn’t what he deserved. But Hestia always left him a choice. He knew that by now. 

_At least I hope he does._

For the moment, Hestia decided to do what she could. She reached into the bag at her feet for water and a sandwich and made a quick lunch out of it – she couldn’t stomach much more anyway – before slipping into the front seat.

Hestia knew her cousin and Hera weren’t home most of the day, so she could probably go then. She still took a few minutes to make sure she could drive before going to the Grace house. She had more than enough time to prepare, as long as she could evade Zeus.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Throws chapter update and runs away_

***Jason***

Jason dutifully jotted down notes in his notebook, even though Mr. Dionysus was well on his merry way to sleep. His large sunglasses and his general demeanor screamed 'hangover', but no one dared say a thing. Mr. Dionysus was always rude and forgetful and generally annoyed by kids, but he put up with no bullshit. Jason had never seen him angry, but according to Percy, the change was impressive.

Still, Jason was happy when his morning classes finally ended. He considered himself a serious student and a good listener, but even he had his limits. He gathered all his things and threw them in his bag before leaving to find Nico. 

He still felt a little uneasy, but as soon as he was in the hallway, his eyes darted around in search of the small dark haired boy. He was pretty sure the only reason Leo hadn't already complained about how often he mentioned Nico was because he was too busy complaining about Calypso. Jason was sure he would get on that pretty quick though.

Jason waved to a few people who greeted him in the hallway, but he sped up when some tried to come up and talk to him. He was a little worried that Nico might not be at school yet, but he wanted to be sure before he gave up looking. 

Luckily, he didn't have to worry for too long. He saw Nico as soon as he stepped outside.

Nico was sitting at a table alone, glaring at nothing in particular – by now Jason knew that was Nico's default mode – and his nose and cheeks were a little red from the cold. He was so still that he could've passed for a statue if it weren't for the flyaway strands of his hair picking up in the wind. Jason saw no sign of food with him, and he wondered if Nico had already eaten lunch or if he had just straight up forgotten to bring any. 

Jason made his way to the table, willing his face to relax and not let his concern show. He knew how Nico hated pity. Jason knocked lightly on the table to get his friend's attention and smiled when Nico lifted his eyes.

"Hey, is this seat taken?" 

Nico blinked at him before shaking his head a little.

Jason slid into the opposite seat and shuddered a little at the cold. Once more he wondered how Nico could stand it, but he supposed that asking would make for an awkward conversation. Anyway, Nico was still lost in his thoughts, so Jason started on his sandwich. It was only when he took out his thermos that Nico's attention was piqued, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Sorry," Jason said as he waved the thermos slightly. "But it's not coffee."

"Heathen," Nico muttered, crossing his arms on the table. "What else would you even put in there?"

"Tea?"

"Ugh... " 

Jason laughed at the look of utter disgust on Nico's face. He filled his cup and watched as Nico let his chin rest on his arms. He didn't look sick at all, and nothing in his demeanor or appearance was out of place. Jason didn't realize he had been staring until Nico's eyes caught his. 

"Were you worried I wouldn't show up?"

"Of course not,” Nico insisted. There was a pause. "Ok, maybe a little." 

Jason rubbed his neck. "How are you feeling? You look better."

Nico shrugged, which, as Jason was learning, could mean absolutely anything from 'I'm perfectly fine' to 'I feel terrible but that's none of your business'. Jason decided to be smart and keep his mouth shut. Even if he still felt a little bitter after his previous conversation with Nico, he was also able to admit to himself that the reason his remarks stung so much was because they were all true. At least, to a point. It felt strangely good to lose his composure in front of someone without any consequences. After all, he wasn't sure how to act around Piper these days, and Leo already had enough on his plate, he didn't need to give them anymore grief.

"You're usually more lively," Jason remarked. Nico looked away when he tried to meet his gaze. 

"Did something happen?" Nico asked, his tone only slightly petulant as he tried to change the subject. 

Jason looked down at the table to find Nico fiddling with his ring. He was tempted to just answer 'maybe' to see if Nico would ask again, but that was probably a bit much. Still, he couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face. Nico immediately scowled at him.

"What?" Nico sounded really irritated, but Jason simply smiled a little more.

"Nico... Are you worried about me? Like I'm–" Jason leaned on the table. "–a friend?"

"You're terrible." Nico leaned back, crossing his arms tightly over his chest.

"Sorry." Jason knew his voice was far from apologetic, but Nico didn't seem to mind.

"Never mind." Nico dropped his chin into his palm, his inky hair curling around his fingers. "Knowing you, you're worrying about everything and everyone." He didn't say 'as always,' but it was clearly implied.

"Am I that bad?" Jason paused, and Nico shrugged again. "I am, actually." Jason glanced at his bag, where his phone was buried under his books. "My friend's been... absent for a while. So yeah, I'm worried."

"Mmhmm..." Nico hummed thoughtfully. "Are they sick?"

"She keeps saying so, but she doesn't answer our calls... Leo's really worried too. But he has a more creative way of showing it." Jason was pretty sure Leo had spammed Piper's phone for a whole day before going around school and talking to her club members and other friends to see if they had more info.

"So, I'm guessing that friend is Piper." Jason's gaze snapped back to Nico.

“How did you know?”

“Lucky guess.”

It was probably because Jason had been spending more time with Nico lately, but he noticed changes that he wouldn't have seen before. Like the way Nico seemed to hunch over the table a little, as if he was trying to curl on himself, and the way his eyes seemed to lose their focus from time to time, as if he was sneaking glances at something behind or next to Jason. But even though Jason noticed, he didn’t see the reason for these little things. As always, Nico's mind was a tricky maze, and one that Jason had barely entered at that.

Jason stared down at his lap for a moment before holding out his thermos.

"Tea?" 

Nico shot him a dry look, but Jason shrugged. "You can at least try something other than coffee, you know."

"...Sure." Of course Nico looked appalled at the idea, but he took the cup and managed to look more scared of a hot drink than of bullies. "Is it strong tea at least…?"

"Can you define 'strong' ?" Jason couldn't help but laugh at Nico's face then. For just a second, his worries seemed to lessen.

But Jason noticed how Nico seemed to withdraw a little after that. He also noted that Nico still wasn’t eating anything, but he didn't comment. He knew Nico would just shrink away if Jason tried to say something about his health.

When lunch was over and the few students who had braved the cold started to go back in, Nico waited for Jason to clear the table before falling into step beside him.

_That's new._

Jason glanced at Nico, but he still couldn't really figure out what he was thinking. Jason was a little worried that the boy might walk into a wall, so he walked slightly ahead.

"Are you working tonight?" Jason asked as he opened the door. That seemed to startle Nico out of his musings, and immediately an expression of annoyance flashed over his face. Jason chuckled as his Nico hurried inside. "You don’t like working there?"

"That's not it." Nico sighed loudly. "I’m actually working on the lit presentation tonight." 

Nico said it like the mere idea was exhausting, but Jason was still a little confused.

"And, that's... bad? Don't you like literature?"

"Not really. I don't like people telling me how I should interpret thing, or that some books are better than others." Nico had stopped in the hallway and was now talking with his hands as he explained the faults of his literature class. Jason had never seen him so animated, but he definitely liked seeing this side of Nico. “And I have to work with Solace on this. It's gonna be a nightmare..."

_That_ thought made Jason frown a little. He had never seen Will much at school, so the only impression he had of him was from the Halloween party. 

"Are you two friends?"

"What?" Nico crossed his arms again, looking more confused than annoyed. "I mean, I don't know. I don't know what that guy’s thinking. "

"He doesn't seem very... serious." Jason didn't know why he felt the need to say that. And he realized it was stupid, after all, he had only met Will once. Who was he to judge?

"You'd think so, right? But he's actually pretty diligent. And smart too. If only he wasn't so hyper all the time..." Nico was smiling. It was barely there, but this was Nico, and a small smile may as well have been a full face grin. Jason wasn't sure why that put a bitter taste in his mouth. "I guess it would be better to work with him than with any of the other guys in the class anyway…"

"Hmm." Jason didn't really trust his mouth right then, so he nodded and walked faster, suddenly eager to get to class. Nico fumbled after him, clearly surprised. "So, you're meeting up instead of going to work after school?" He asked as Nico caught up. 

"Yeah. Well, we'll probably have to work a few days on this, so if it comes down to it, we can work at the shop." Nico said it matter-of-factly, and Jason tried to ignore the cold feeling settling in his gut. 

They parted ways at Nico's classroom, and Jason walked the rest of the way to his class feeling awful.

_Why am I so pissed off? Because he has other friends at school? That's a good thing! Or maybe I felt special knowing about his work...? But that's stupid, even Leo and Percy know about his job! Maybe... Maybe..._

"Hey Jay, you alright?"

Jason raised his head to see Percy staring at him about ten centimeters away from his face. That was definitely enough to halt his train of thought.

"Perce, do you think you could like... take a step back? Personal space, you know?"

"Oh, you're answering now! Good!" Percy grinned and stepped back, slipping his hands into his pockets. He had two bags slung over his shoulder, a sign that it was a swim club day. "What’s got you all spacey? You looked kind of like Annabeth before an exam."

To be honest, Jason tended to forget that Annabeth was a human being who was capable of stress. She aced all her exams while also tutoring most of her friends, participating in three different clubs, and even doing volunteer work. Jason sometimes wondered how she managed to stay sane through it all. Having Percy as a boyfriend couldn't be much help either.

"I don't think Annabeth ever worries that much."

"Oh, she does. She just hides it." Percy seemed to realize something then, and his grin fell a little. "Actually, don't tell her I said that."

"Sure Perce." Jason stopped in front of his classroom door. Some kids were already in their seats, but he still had a little time before the teacher came.

“Thanks bro!" Percy leaned against the wall. "So what's up? You look super tense."

Jason hesitated only a second. He had already seen the effect Nico's name had on Percy, so decided to try approaching the problem from a different angle.

"Do you know Will Solace?"

"Oh yeah! Pretty nice guy, but I think Annabeth knows him better." Percy tilted his head. "His dad works at the hospital, and he was there that one time in middle school when Annabeth broke her leg."

"So, what’s he like?” Jason asked before he could stop himself, and Percy looked at him, puzzled. 

"You mean as a person? " Jason nodded, and his friend shrugged. "I'm telling you, I don't really know. He seems nice enough, and Annabeth told me he was pretty smart. Sometimes they see each other, and he does a lot of volunteer work after school." Percy scratched his head. " And... I think that's all? "

Jason hummed in response and stared at his shoelaces. So Will was nice and smart. Jason just remembered him as loud and obnoxious, but whatever.

_Everyone was like that at the party. That doesn't mean anything._

Somehow, telling himself that didn't make him feel any better.

"Sooo, why're you asking?"

"I just met him a while ago, and he mentioned you." That wasn't a lie. Technically. And it was definitely better than bringing Nico into this. Jason forced the thought out of his head to focus on Percy. "So, how’s Annabeth?"

***Nico***

Nico logically knew that he was being childish, but he couldn't help it. He was used to working alone (or with his slightly strange and dysfunctional family), so when he saw Will waiting for him after his last class, he couldn't help but be a little pissed off. Maybe Hazel was right. Maybe he really was getting more grumpy and anti-social by the day... But that was a concern for another time. For now, Nico could only scowl at Will's bright smile.

"Why are you so happy all the time?" Nico asked flatly, earning him a chuckle from Will.

"I'm just a believer in the 'stay positive and good things will happen' school of thought! Now, are you ready to go?" Will was already starting to walk down the hall, so Nico fell into step behind him, resigned to suffering for the day.

The walk out of school seemed to stretch on forever, mostly because Will was on friendly terms with at least half the campus and stopped every ten seconds to say goodbye to someone. Nico could only do his best to make himself smaller and focus on his goal, wondering how long it would take to finish their presentation. Maybe he could propose a compromise to do all the writing and let Will handle the talking.

_Yeah, like that'll work._

In the end, they didn't wander too far from school. Will led them to a small diner nearby, and soon they were unpacking their laptops and notebooks on a table in a booth. Will asked for a coffee, while Nico asked for the greasiest looking food on the menu. Will was explaining the teacher's instructions to him when their order arrived, and Nico immediately dug in. It took Nico a few moments to notice the look Will was giving him.

"What's wrong?" Nico asked after swallowing slowly, thinking he could at least savor this.

"I'm just wondering how you can eat something like that..." Will narrowed his eyes at the plate. "I mean, we only had lunch a few hours ago."

"I didn't, forgot mine." Nico went back to his food, and Will sighed, pointedly looking away from the food and taking a sip of his drink. Nico thought he heard him mutter something about unhealthy eating, but he decided to let it go. 

Will continued with his explanation, and Nico did his best to pay attention. By the end of it, he started to think that working the project may not be so bad after all.

Nico finished his plate and ordered a coffee, and then the two boys started to work. Time flew by quickly. Will, Nico noted, was surprisingly quiet when he worked. He was focused on his task and didn't interrupt with small talk like Nico thought he would. But even though they were quick, this wasn't the kind of work they could finish in one afternoon. Nico scowled when Will told him as much and started to gather his papers.

"Don't glare at me like that, I just need to go now. I have tutoring to do, and we’ve already done a lot. Don't worry, we'll finish in no time, and then you won't have to deal with me anymore~" Will spoke playfully, but even though Will seemed to be joking, it still stung a little. Nico pressed his lips together, trying to crush the guilt blocking his throat.

"It's not so bad... working with you." No child could have matched his petulant tone, but the thought left Nico's mind pretty quickly once he saw Will's shit eating grin. Just as he opened his mouth to respond, Nico added, "I said working, not talking."

"Sure, Nico." Will got up to leave the booth and Nico followed the suit. When they were back in front of the building, Nico still felt a little bad, but they waved each other goodbye normally and went their separate ways. Well, Will went on his way. Nico was rooted to the spot.

Annabeth was staring at him, probably wanting to get inside the diner. 

Nico realized it had been a long time since he had last looked her in the eye. Unlike Percy, who never seemed to know how to act around him, Annabeth's gaze was as steady and fierce as he remembered. Nico neatly stepped out of her way, trying to crush the ugly feelings swirling in his mind, but she reacted just as fast, extending her hand to stop him without touching him.

"Hi, Nico. Do you have a moment? " Nico wondered if her voice ever wavered. Probably not. 

Nico hated feeling so pathetic.

He shrugged and crossed his arms, wondering why she would want to talk to him. He wasn't even sure they'd talked one on one before… He must have been fidgeting or something, because it didn’t take long for her to pick up on the fact that Nico didn't like talking to her. In fact, he felt pathetic and all kinds of depressed when he talked to her.

"Sorry, you probably have things to do," Annabeth said, making Nico internally roll his eyes. _Yeah, right. I have to go hide in my room and hope humanity forgets about me._ “I just wanted to ask if you've seen Piper recently?"

Nico actually rolled his eyes at that. 

"I barely know her."

“She's been absent for the past few days, but she said she was going to see Hazel." She twisted the strap of her bag, and Nico huffed in frustration.

"In case you haven't noticed, I don't follow my sister everywhere. So no, I haven’t seen Piper. Bye," Nico stated before walking away as fast as he could without actually running. He liked to think that he was getting better at handling his triggers, but obviously that wasn't the case. He felt like throwing up. With some luck, he would be alone at home. Maybe he’d be able to break some vases without Persephone to scold him.

As if. He’d given up on luck a long time ago.

Nico went home, stared blankly at his father for the few minutes he was downstairs, evaded Persephone's worried glance, and quickly grabbed something to eat. When he fell asleep, he had one of the weirdest dreams he’d had in a while.

***Jason ???***

Jason swung his legs, tapping his heels against the little stone bench he was sitting on. His backpack was next to him, and he kept a hand on a strap like Thalia told him to because 'you have to watch your stuff, or someone might steal it!' Jason thought that was dumb since Thalia had no trouble snatching it out of his hands. What was the point of holding the strap if a stranger could probably just take it away just as easily? But he did what she said anyway, because he had to.

Jason felt a shiver run through him, and he hunched his back instinctively. It was pretty cold, and he was wearing a t-shirt and shorts. He hoped Thalia would be back soon.

"It's no use, honey," a sweet voice murmured into his ear. "You know it's true. She left us both. She's a bad person."

"Shut up," Jason muttered back, feeling his eyes burn a little. He wouldn't cry. He was too big to cry now. Thalia would make fun of him.

"It's okay, I'm here for you. I'm here, okay?" the voice said again, and the faint touch of a hand on his cheek made him shiver again.

Jason pulled his knees up and bit his lip. He was scared. The voice was always getting closer, but he didn't want her there. He wanted Thalia. Why wasn't she back yet? Maybe she really did leave him…

"You know I'm right, honey," the voice said again in that sweet, sweet voice. Jason could see blond curls out of the corner of his eye, but he was frozen to the spot. He was scared and hoping she would go away, but he knew she wouldn't. She was always there. Always.

And then she wasn't.

Jason blinked and looked around, but there was nothing. The scenery had shifted, and now the world around him was hard to describe. All the colors and details were a pale, water colored mess, and he was alone again. Jason’s feet stilled as he breathed in a little deeper. And then he heard footsteps.

Jason whipped his head around to see a man approaching him. He was taller than him, and older. And he looked kind of like Thalia. He was even wearing a black shirt with a skull like she did sometimes. His eyes weren't blue like Thalia's though. They were dark… But he was a lot less scary than the lady from before. Jason watched him walk until he stopped right next to the bench. Looking up, Jason smiled at him brightly.

"You look cool, Mister!"

The man's eyes widened, hidden a little behind his hair, and then he huffed out a humorless laugh. 

"Um, thanks?" he said, looking around a little. "What are you doing here?"

Jason almost answered, but then Thalia's voice rang in his ears. 'Don't talk to strangers!' 

But this man didn't really feel like a stranger. He came to sit down next to Jason.

"My name's Nico. You are…?" He wasn't looking at Jason. He was looking down, twisting something in his hand.

"Jason!" That got Nico's attention, and he looked at him curiously.

"And, how old are you?"

"I'm ten!" Jason smiled. He remembered hugging Thalia, holding her as long as he could. 'I'm big now, Thalia! I'll be okay!'

"You shouldn't be out here alone then…" Nico went back to fiddling with his fingers. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm waiting for my sister." Jason went back to swinging his legs, the satisfying 'pat' of his shoes a lot louder than before and echoing in the vast space. "She told me she'd be back soon."

"And when is soon?" Nico asked, his voice slightly annoyed. Jason saw him glaring at Jason’s feet, so he kept smiling and stopped moving his legs.

"I... I don't know. But she said it! She did." Jason hung his head before looking back up at Nico. "You look like her you know! You're cool like her!"

Thalia had once tried to explain to him why she liked wearing her black skull shirts and dark jeans full of holes that their father hated. Then she showed him her cool ear piercings, and even though they looked painful, Jason thought they were the best thing ever. The shouting he'd heard afterward had been almost as impressive.

"If you say so…" Nico shrugged a little, but his smile was uneasy. He simply stared at the ground in silence, and before long, Jason started to shift in his spot, unsure of what to do. 

"Are you staying?" He finally asked, frowning at the tremble in his voice. He wasn't a little kid anymore. He was fine on his own. And yet he still felt something warm fill his chest when Nico smiled at him, a small but real smile this time.

"Sure. I mean, I have to put some effort into this friendship, right?" Jason wasn't really sure what that meant, but he didn't question it and instead hummed happily.

And then there was a faint noise, but Jason heard it all the same. A door closing. 

And then he opened his eyes.

Jason breathed in and out slowly, his mind slow and still hazy with sleep. He wasn't sure if he was really awake, but he felt good, like a weight had been lifted off his chest. He turned in his bed, reaching blindly for his phone. He tried to check the time, but his eyes kept wanting to close. After a minute or so, he gave up and closed his eyes again, his dream already slipping from his memories.

***Hestia***

Hestia opened her eyes in her cousin's office, smirking at the sight that greeted her.

"That sure looks uncomfortable."

The room was dark, as was the rest of the house. Zeus and Hera had come back late and gone straight to bed, and Jason had stayed in his room for most of the afternoon. Hestia had had plenty of time to set up everything in the office, and now she was faced with a small dilemma. What to do with the spirit?

It was currently twisting in on itself, fading and reappearing, trapped in the room, and alternating between hissing at the walls and hissing at Hestia.

_How dare you....How dare you....Give them back.... HOW DARE YOU_

"You're not welcome here anymore. You should know better, Beryl. "

Her words didn't seem to appease the spirit, but Beryl’s ghost was so fragmented that Hestia was surprised it could form words. Hestia shook her head sadly and got up quickly, muttering a few prayers under her breath. It surprised Nico that Hestia believed in God and in Heaven and Hell, given the mess of spirits she always dealt with, but it was an important part of her. Besides, it always helped her settle her heart and mind. 

Beryl continued hissing and twisting in the center of the room, but she was clearly weakening, cut off from her anchors in the small circle Hestia had made on the floor.

"I'm sorry Beryl, I wish there was another way. But it’ll be over soon," Hestia murmured over the angry noises. Indeed, it was only a few minutes before the spirit faded completely, crumbling under its own weight. Hestia felt a pang of sadness at the sight. Even if she hadn't liked Beryl very much, she still thought she deserved better than that.

Hestia quickly stuffed her things in her bag, rolling back the cloth she had used to trap the spirit. After a second of hesitation, she pushed the carpet back a little and smirked. Chances were Zeus never did his own chores, so he probably wouldn't notice Beryl’s parting gift – the black mark on the floor – right away. Still, it felt pretty good. Hestia almost wanted to see the look on his face when he finally saw it, but she wasn't about to push her luck after breaking into his house. 

Hestia carefully stepped into the hallway and then left out the back, wincing when the door creaked a little. She closed it quickly and then made her way out through the backyard, breathing in the cold night air. That was one less thing to worry about. Now onto the next.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *nervous laugh*

***Nico***

Nico skipped school on Friday. He wasn't exactly proud of it, but he didn't think he'd be able to look Jason in the eye just yet. Hestia had just laughed at him when he told her about his dream and left him to mind the shop for the day. Not that there were many people around, meaning it was pretty much just him all day. And Calypso.

Speaking of Calypso, he had stopped pretending to clean up bookshelves and took a seat next to her behind the counter. Reyna had been texting him, but Calypso had been a little quiet. 

"You alright?"

"You don't have to tip-toe around me like that. I'm okay," Calypso sighed deeply. "I swear I'm not gonna mess up again."

"Sure you will. And I will too. We don’t exactly have an instruction manual." Nico bumped her shoulder with his, and Calypso smiled at him.

"True." She pulled her knees up. "Still, I just wish... I want to be useful, you know? I want to learn."

"You're coming with us tomorrow. That should be..." Nico pondered for a moment, before stating in a flat tone, "something."

"Not a fan of witchcraft, huh? What would Hazel say?"

"She'd understand. All spells feel disgusting except hers."

"Of course," Calypso allowed, slowly rising to her feet. She stretched her arms high above her head, grunting when her joints cracked. "Well, glad the air’s been cleared. I'm gonna go work for once, try not to fall asleep." 

Calypso gently swatted Nico's head and went back to the kitchen. Hope ran between her legs and jumped onto the counter, arching her back and staring at Nico with bright eyes. He stood up quickly and ran a hand along her spine, smiling when she started purring.

"You sure are a weird cat." Hope nipped at his fingers playfully and then sprawled out on the furniture. Nico was generally more of a dog person, but he didn't mind Hope. He was also sure she wasn't a normal cat, since Hestia refused to tell him how old she really was.

When Nico finally found it in him to pull away from her, he decided to try and make good use of his time by spreading his homework out on what little space was left on the counter, occasionally fending off a wandering paw.

The day went by slowly, marked mostly by Reyna's texts, which ranged from passive aggressive to worried. Nico seriously hoped Reyna wasn't really going to check his attendance record because that would make for an awkward conversation. Actually, he wasn't sure why he was worried. Reyna wasn't a teacher or tutor, but somehow disappointing her would feel worse than letting down any adult. Nico tried his best to keep track of the conversation and answer quickly, but his mind wandered more often than not.

Most of his mind’s wandering tended towards a young boy sitting on a bench with a sad face. Nico could feel his face heat up just thinking about it. Waking up from that dream had been awkward to say the least. He'd been given insight he didn't deserve nor want, and now he was going to remember it every time he saw Jason.

Nico twirled his pen between his fingers, frowning. He was still curious about Jason's sister though. He hadn't seen her before, and he didn't even know her name. 

Hestia came back near the end of the afternoon with a full backpack and a skip in her step. Nico dropped his chin in his hand and gave her a pointed look.

"I still don't understand why chasing ghosts makes you so happy."

"Because it's an adventure of course. How was today?" Hestia brushed past him and gently squeezed his shoulder.

"Quiet."

"Good. Go home and sleep early. We have work to do tomorrow."

***Jason***

Jason was feeling especially good that day. He had woken up early, and he felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Like the fog in his mind had finally cleared. Even Hera's nitpicking at breakfast didn't dampen his mood.

Nico's absence at school did though. As did Piper's. He went through his morning classes with increasing worrying in the back of his mind until lunch. He went to sit with Leo, who was busy brooding, and Frank, who was busy staring at Leo. Jason dropped his lunch on the table and offered his friend a meek smile.

"No one can help him when he's like that, don't worry."

Frank just smiled back and patted Leo's hair awkwardly.

"This is awful," Leo muttered. "See this, Cap? Frank is the only one I have left. My one true friend."

Frank frowned at that but didn't say anything back, probably used to Leo's eccentricities by now.

"Still nothing from Piper."

"Of course there’s been nothing!" Leo sat up straight, gesturing wildly. "First she's all 'I have a cold, I'm so tired, woe is me' then she's all pissed off when her dear and, may I say, very considerate friends worry about her, and now she's all secretive and saying that she's got family stuff to deal with like we don't even know each other!"

A few heads turned to their table after Leo's little speech, but Frank and Jason stared them down until there were none left. Leo was still too busy fuming to notice.

"Wait, family stuff?" Jason frowned, wondering once again how much space it was appropriate to give to Piper. 

"Yes, and I don't know what it is, because she won't tell me. This is the worst." Leo suddenly leaned over the table, pointing right at Jason's face. "This is a crisis, Cap. I'm in big need of a friend to fend off the boring, and you are that friend. Tomorrow, my place? I managed to save my games from that crappy flooding. Frank, you too."

Jason immediately felt bad, and he knew it showed on his face because Leo's smile dropped instantly. 

"Sorry Leo..."

"Oh no... What did you do?" Leo sat back and crossed his arms.

"I promised Drew I'd go out with her and her friends tomorrow."

"DREW?!" Leo was up in his face again, and Jason couldn’t blame him. "How can you choose that harpy over me, your best friend, your original bro?" Leo's voice was overdramatic, but Jason did feel bad.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted a chance to talk with some guys from the team–"

"You see those assholes everyday!"

"– outside of school." Jason paused for a moment. "But actually, can you come? It'll be more bearable with you here."

"It's like you're trying to ruin my weekend.” Leo shook his head, sly smile back on his face. "But if I can ruin Drew's weekend too, it might just be worth it. You coming, Frank?"

"As fun as that sounds, no thanks." Frank sat back in his seat, obviously done with their antics. Jason felt bad for him sometimes. Frank was a very peaceful person, and they were probably testing his patience everyday.

"So, when do we meet up?" Leo asked, stealing Frank's drink.

***Reyna***

Reyna was admittedly a little pissed on Friday to learn that Nico had skipped. It was frustrating because, after talking to some teachers and snooping around a bit, it was clear that Nico had good results and would've been a model student if not for his poor attendance record and lack of activities. But even more frustrating were the teachers’ attitudes, who seemed to have turned a blind eye to Nico's school life.

So Reyna soothed her frustration by texting Nico all day, pleased to know that he was at least working and well. He also gave her the details about their upcoming little 'adventure' as Hestia called it, for some bizarre reason.

The memory of her father was still fresh in her mind, but the memory of Nico's sorry state was even fresher. She had a debt to pay now, and she intended to pay it. Not only that, but it was cruelly unfair that Nico was so used to doing everything by himself.

_Like me I suppose._

Well, no use thinking about it.

Reyna went straight home after her club and prepared everything she could think of for the next day before going to sleep. Needless to say, sleep didn't come easy.

She woke up Saturday morning after what seemed to be only minutes. Her dogs were roaming her room peacefully, bumping her backpack curiously on their way. Reyna took a quick shower and had an even quicker breakfast. 

Reyna put on some comfortable boots and a thick jacket and left her house for the cold morning.

The old mall was pretty far from there, so she took a bus first and ended up jogging lightly for the rest of the way until she saw Nico and his sister at the corner of a street. Both were wearing identical bomber jackets and sour expressions. Hestia was standing a few steps away with Calypso, apparently talking to her about something.

"Hello Nico, Hazel." Reyna got a wave and a smile from Hazel and a nod from her brother. "Is something the matter?"

"Depends," Nico muttered as Hestia and Calypso joined them.

"Hello Reyna." Hestia nodded at the group, an easy smile on her face. "Alright, we're ready to go. The building is big, and we don't know what to expect yet, but we might have more luck if we separate. So, we'll check the first room together and then split into two groups. I'll go with Calypso, you go with Nico and Reyna." Hestia looked at Hazel, and she gave a nod. "Our priority is to find out if there is someone trapped in here, but if we can dismantle the whole curse, then all the better. Keep your phones on, but don't expect to rely on them too much. Nico," Hestia sighed lightly, "if we get trapped somehow and can't communicate, we'll be counting on you."

"Yeah, don't worry."

"Good, let's go then. All through the entrance Hazel found, then we'll go our separate ways. "

Reyna nodded with the others, trying to find a bit of relief in the confidence they were all showing. Like this was something normal.

_To them it is though..._

Hazel touched her elbow and brought her back to the present, a frown on her face. "Are you alright, Reyna?"

"Yes. Yes, I’m sorry. I won't slow you down." Reyna took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"Trust me, you won't. It's not fast work you know. In fact, it might even get boring," Nico added. "Most of the time we just walk in circles for hours."

"Oh come on, it's exciting sometimes!" Hazel breezed past her brother, trying for a cheerful tone, though the cold ruined that a bit. Nico smiled nonetheless, and Reyna followed them.

Hestia pushed the door open, and they all filed in, Reyna happy for any way to get out of the freezing air.

Unfortunately, for some reason it was freezing inside too. Reyna burrowed her hands deep inside her jacket pockets and sucked in a deep breath. The room was probably a staff room, judging by the mess and lockers on the sides. Reyna went to look through it until she realized everyone else had stopped in their tracks. For a minute, it was quiet. They just looked around and breathed quietly until Nico broke the silence.

"Alright then, let's get to it."

First they searched the room for maps, and found one under some boxes on the floor. They all took a picture of it on their phones and studied it for a moment. The mall had been fairly large, three floors with multiple shops along the sides, plus a few larger spaces that might've been for restaurants or areas for resting. Reyna's group was to search the first floor while Calypso and Hestia would go up. There was also a basement with all the electrical and water related installations, but they all implicitly agreed to check it last.

Nico and Hestia had to force the door open to get out into the mall, and the noise of the door coming off the hinges echoed loudly in the empty space. The group walked down the path and looked up at the high ceiling. Despite the many condemned windows, there was still enough light to see where they were going thanks to missing beams.

Nico frowned at the air and Reyna nudged his back.

"What's wrong?"

"The air is heavy." Nico turned to Hestia. "We should hurry. This stinks of spell."

"True. Good luck then. We’ll meet back here in an hour here if we find nothing, but on the off chance that things get out of hand, we’ll regroup outside."

Calypso waved at them as she and Hestia went up to the second floor. Soon the echo of their steps faded, and Nico turned on his heels with an eyebrow raised at their little group.

"So, where do we go first?"

Apparently, Hazel was the guide on this one, being the witchcraft expert and everything. For now, they decided to check out the shops and go around the mall until they found something to give them a better direction.

The first was completely empty. The electrical cables and pipes were dangling from the open ceiling, and there was nothing more than some debris on the ground. But Hazel and Nico walked in and started sliding their hands along the walls with purpose. Nico gestured to her, and Reyna joined him.

"So, what are we looking for exactly?" Reyna put a hand on the wall and frowned at the grainy sensation.

"Preferably a lost man. But until then, anything that could be linked to the curse of this building. Try to look for carvings or drawn symbols. They might not stand out right away, but they'll definitely be out of place here. "

"Alright."

Reyna walked to the farthest wall and started her search. All in all it was dull work. They called to each other a few times but found nothing significant. The same was true for the next deserted shop, and the next one, and next one. They slowly went through the dusty rooms, avoiding cracks in the floors and shards of glass as best as they could until they finally found their first clue in a storeroom in the corner of the mall among some rotten cardboard boxes.

"Here! Hazel!" Nico called, his voice a bit muffled in the dusty air.

Hazel ran over, and Reyna helped her move boxes out of the way until they could see the symbol clearly drawn on the wall. Nico and Reyna stood off to the side while Hazel examined it with rapt attention. Reyna was a bit put off by it, but she couldn't say anything about it except that it was written with a marker. She leaned towards Nico.

"Do all witches use marker?" She whispered.

"Sometimes Hazel uses ballpoint pens," Nico whispered back.

"Isn't that sacrilege or something?"

Nico almost answered, but a stern look from his sister kept his mouth shut. Nico started wandering the room again while Hazel muttered under her breath, so Reyna decided to do the same, staring at the rotten mess with disgust.

"I'm gonna need a few showers after this."

"And a few naps too."

"So is this what you do every time?" Reyna asked curiously.

"Pretty much. Lots of searching and crawling in dirty buildings." Nico examined a pile of boxes with concern before sitting cautiously on top. "It doesn't usually get, you know, violent or anything."

"It did at my house," Reyna murmured. She could still hear her father's voice.

"That was... abnormal."

"Yeah," Reyna smiled wryly. "Ghosts? Abnormal? I never would’ve guessed."

"It was." Nico sounded so resolute, Reyna looked back at him. "Spirits, they're fickle and usually pretty weak. It's hard for them to interact with us, and even when they can, it's not usually a constant thing. Your house was definitely a weird case."

"Is that what Hestia’s investigating?"

"I think so."

Both teens fell silent at that, quietly contemplating the thought. Reyna thought about her house, and wondered once again what had gone so terribly wrong. She had hated that house and tried her best to avoid it, always. Unfortunately that meant she had no idea who could have tampered with it.

"Okay, done!"

Nico stood up from his improvised seat, dusting off his pants.

"So what is it?" He asked.

Hazel appeared grim, and she shook her head.

"Wait a here a second..." Reyna and Nico exchanged a look as Hazel went to the door they entered through and gripped the handle. She stayed still for a moment before pushing, and then she swore loudly.

Reyna and Nico ran to her as they saw what was beyond the door and fell into shocked silence. There was a room beyond the door. Undecorated and dirty, it was definitely not the path they had come from.

"Well shit," Nico muttered. "It's a maze."

**Author's Note:**

> Hey ! This is my first fic on AO3, and since english isn't my first langage, I got assasin8 to beta read my chapters now !  
> I'm also on tumblr at http://rouge-moka.tumblr.com/ and will probably draw pics for this fic at some point ~  
> Anyway, enjoy and leave comments, I'd like to know what you thought ~


End file.
